Fire Emblem, War of Radiance
by Crazymallets
Summary: Three years after Path of Radiance, Queen Elincia and the Greil Mercenaries are trying to go back to their normal way of life. However, when a person from Ike and Mist's past appear, things turn for the worst. IkeXElincia SothXMicaiah
1. Chapter 1 Depressing Matters

I do not own Fire Emblem. Nintendo owns everything in this fan fiction.

Ch. 1 Depressing matters.

Queen Elincia stood on her balcony looking over her new city. She was a beautiful young woman in her early twenties. She had long green hair and soft brown eyes. Her face was smooth and gorgeous

It had been three years since she had gained her rightful position. However, the role of queen was not easy for her. She had not grown up in a large castle with many teachers and advisors to train her like most queens. She had grown up with a foster family who had kept her hidden from danger. Now she had a country to rule and she needed to help it regain its power. It was not easy. She was always unsure if she was making the right decisions, and there were many who tried to overthrow her. A group of rebels constantly sabotaged her efforts and attacked defenseless villages. Elincia's bodyguard and close friend, Lucia, was working to expose the rebels, but she kept running into dead leads.

Elincia released an exasperated sigh as she walked back into her throne room. It had been so much easier when Ike was around to keep her company. She had grown fond of the young man; for if it hadn't been for him or his mercenaries, Elincia would never have become queen and this country would still be in turmoil. He had promised her that he and Elincia would get through this together, and he stayed with her for several months until she had a proper grasp on ruling the kingdom. Once he felt he was no longer needed though, he left. Royalty wasn't for him, and he had his own group to lead and villages to protect. Nonetheless, she missed him.

"Your highness." A soft voice greeted as a man approached. The man was dressed in royal blue armor and carried a spear. He had cerulean colored hair and eyes. His face was friendly and gentle, the type of face unexpected from such a powerful and imposing figure. His name was Geoffrey. He was Elincia's general and cared for her more than anything in his life.

"What is your report, General?" Elincia asked.

"No report, your highness. I just wanted to make sure you were O.K. You seem unhappy lately. Is there something wrong?"

"No, just a little stressed." The queen once again looked out the window. It was a lie and both she and Geoffrey knew it.

"He's not coming back." The general informed his queen. "You should forget about him and look towards your future. Your people need you."

"I know my people need me." Elincia hissed, trying to remain calm.

The conversation had upset her and Geoffrey could tell. He had seen the sad look in his queen's eyes for quite some time now, and it filled him with grief to see her this way. He had only come to make her feel better, but he was doing quite the opposite. He had to think of something that would at least take her mind off Ike and the stress of being queen for a little while.

"I know. How about we take a walk around town tomorrow? Just you and me. We'll even find a disguise for you so no one will recognize us. I'm sure it will make you feel better to get out of this castle and away from the guards."

"What about the dangers and the rebels? Are you sure it is safe?" Elincia asked him.

"I suppose that's a good point, your highness. You are really wise. What if I ask my sister about it? If she says it is fine, than will it be?"

"Very well." The Queen agreed. "If Lucia agrees with your idea, than so will I."

"Great! I will ask her right now. Oh, and your highness? Please get some sleep. I'm worried about you not getting your rest."

"Don't worry, General. I am actually going to bed relatively soon."

"Good. Have sweet dreams, your highness."

Geoffrey bowed graciously to his queen and left humbly, trying to keep his excitement from embarrassing him. All he needed was to get his sister's permission and he would have a date with the queen.

Geoffrey sat at a table speaking to his sister about taking Elincia out for the day. Anyone looking at Geoffrey and Lucia would have thought they were twins. Both had the same eyes, hair, and features. Plus, they were both great warriors: Lucia a swords master, and Geoffrey a paladin. The only difference was that Lucia was a female, and had a slim, womanly build.

"It sounds more like you want to take her highness out on a date than get her out of the castle." Lucia stated, leaning back on her chair. Being in charge of Queen Elincia's spy network, she was quick to figure out was really going on, regardless the situation. especially when she knew what her little brother was trying to pull.

"Really Lucia, it's not like that at all." Geoffrey interrupted.

Lucia merely raised her eyebrow, indicating Geoffrey was lying. She wasn't going to believe his lie.

"O.K. so maybe it would be nice to take her highness out on a date, but that's not my true intention. I want to see her happy again. She's always so glum. It pains me to see her like this."

"I know. Elincia always had a hard time ruling, especially sense Ike left."

Geoffrey seemed to grimace at the mention of Ike's name, but Lucia ignored him and continued.

"As far as my resources tell me, there shouldn't be any problem with taking her highness out for a walk. However, she must be well disguised and I will have one of my spies watching you at all times just in case."

"Very well." Geoffrey agreed.

********

The Greil mercenaries sat around their camp after hiking through the woods for the day. They had just returned from a job well done. It had been a tough job protecting that village from so many bandits, but the group had handled the job with ease.

"Did you see me in the last fight?" The youngest of the mercenaries cheered. He was named Rolf. He was in his early teens and had lime green hair and eyes. Even though he was young, he was mature and good hearted, not to mention skilled with a bow. "I must have taken down at least five of those bandits."

"Yes, you did quite well." Gatrie complimented. He was a large and powerful knight with short blond hair and blue eyes. Despite his size and ferocity in battle, he was a puppy dog on the inside and always optimistic.

"You could have done better, though." Shinon commented. "You missed several targets." Shinon had long maroon colored hair and was quite the opposite of his best friend, Gatrie. Despite his tough guy act, he did have soft spots in his heart. One of them was for Rolf, whom he had secretly taught how to use a bow.

"It would have also been nice if we would have made more money!" Shinon made sure their leader, Ike, could hear.

Mia, the newest members of the mercenaries, was sparing against Ike. She was a young woman in her late teens with long purple hair and blue eyes. She had quite a playful attitude about her, but was one of the best when it came to wielding the sword. She would often challenge Ike to a fight to keep her skills sharp, even though she was never a challenge for him.

Ike was a slim and muscular man, and his swordsman skills were nearly unmatched. He had been taught by his father, the original leader of the mercenaries, and was the top warrior in the country. He had navy blue hair and was dressed in a navy blue tunic.

Ike continued to block Mia's blows with his sword. The blade was large, nearly as long as Ike, and about twice as wide as a normal blade. Any normal man would barely be able to wield the blade with two hands, yet Ike had no problem wielding it one-handed. With a single swipe of the leader's blade, he sent his challenger flying backwards. She had been both disarmed and knocked on her back.

Rhys, the missionary's main healer, walked over and used his healing staff to heal Mia's wounds, just as he did every time she tried to spar with Ike. Rhys had orange-red hair and was dressed in white and light blue clothing like a bishop.

With his sparing match complete, Ike turned to his next challenger, Shinon. It seemed Shinon always tried to argue with Ike's decisions, and it really got on the nerves of both Ike and the rest of the gang.

"They were a poor village." Ike said. "We can't overcharge them for our services just because you want more money."

"Whatever." Shinon grumbled. "We should have just stayed at the castle in Elincia's service. We would have at least got paid enough to afford decent food, not to mention the comfort of the castle and…"

"That's enough, Shinon." A red headed woman by the name of Titania barked. Titania was oldest of the mercenaries and Ike's second in command. Even though she was no longer in her prime, she was still very powerful, capable of wielding a large war ax or sword without any problem. She dressed in lightweight white armor and maroon velvet clothing. Titania often served as a mother figure to the younger members of the mercenary, such as Mia and Rolf. She had even helped raise Ike when he was a boy.

Ike looked around the camp and did a quick head count.

Oscar and Boyd, Rolf's two older half-brothers, were arm wrestling. Boyd, the slightly younger but larger brother, was winning. All three of the brothers looked very similar, with the exception that Boyd and Oscar's hair was a darker pigment of green than Rolf's. Oscar was a knight who wore green armor and was skilled at using a lance and bow, while Boyd was a warrior who preferred an ax, but could also use a bow.

Soren, the main strategist and mage of the team, read a book and ignored the rest of the members. Soren was an unfriendly man to all but Ike, who he supported without question, and considered a brother. He looked only to be the age of fifteen, but he was actually in his late twenties. He was half dragon and thus aged slower. His hair was black and his eyes were red. He wore black robes and on his forehead was a strange red marking.

One member was missing; Mist, Ike's younger sister.

"Soren, where is Mist?" Ike asked his friend.

Soren looked up from his book. "She went to retrieve water from the river. Don't worry, she'll be back soon."

"Very well. Boyd, go to the river and make sure she's O.K."

"Yes sir." Boyd saluted jokingly to Ike, knowing that even though he was his subordinate, they were still friends.

Mist was happily fetching water from the river for the soup Oscar wanted to make. Mist was a pretty young girl in her late teens, but due to her innocence and small stature, she appeared much younger. Her long brown hair blew in the wind, blowing her bangs away from her face, revealing her shining cerulean eyes. The young girl hummed as she worked. It was a song her mom used to sing before she died, and Mist sang it often in remembrance of her.

Unknown to the young girl though, she was being watched by figures in the trees. Black robes covered the figures' bony bodies, preventing anyone from seeing their faces. Each of them had short, jagged swords attached to their belts, ready to draw at any moment.

"So, she is the one with Fire Emblem." One of the men whispered in a dark and raspy voice.

"This should be easier than we thought. She's just a little girl. She doesn't even have a weapon." Another spoke.

Another one of the black hooded men jumped through the trees and approached his comrades. It had been his job to scout.

"Someone's approaching." The man announced, "We must make our move."

The four assassins pounced on the unsuspecting girl. Before Mist had a chance to scream, one of the assassins pointed a blade to her throat, letting it rest against her soft neck.

"You scream and I kill." The man warned the poor girl.

Mist retaliated by kicking one of the men in the crotch, causing him to fall to his knees and moan in pain.

"You little brat!" One of the men cried, grabbing her legs as she flailed violently.

The three remaining men dragged Mist to the river and dunked her head into the water as a form of punishment. Mist struggled frantically against her attackers in order to get her head above water for air, but one of the men kept a firm grip on her hair, and kept her head under. As Mist began to weaken, the man pulled her head up above the water by the girl's hair, allowing her to take a gulp of hair. The man then laughed wickedly and pushed Mist's head back under water.

Mist felt her lungs aching for air and she wanted to cry out in pain but didn't dare, knowing what would happen. She continued to squirm but to no use. The world around Mist began to turn into a blur as she felt herself losing consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2 Captured

I do not own Fire Emblem. Nintendo owns all of these characters

Ch. 2 Captured

Just as Mist thought she was about to pass out, all three pairs of hands that held her down released her and a new pair of hands pulled her out of the water.

Mist sucked in a large breath of air, filling her lungs with the oxygen they had been deprived of. All four men who had attacked her were lying on the ground holding their chests and other body parts that had been injured. However, none of them were bleeding, indicating that a blade hadn't caused their wounds.

She then noticed that an arm was wrapped around her stomach, supporting her so she could stand. Mist looked up to see her savior, only to discover a figure dressed in a brown hooded robe that covered his face. Whoever the figure was, he wasn't particularly tall, about average height, but Mist had a feeling he was male, judging by the figure's firm arm muscles through his robe.

"What kind of low life scum attacks a helpless girl?" Mist's savior chastised the attackers. The voice appeared to be male, and for some reason, it seemed familiar to the girl.

The four attackers rose to their feet and drew their weapons, pointing at them at the figure. The figure set Mist down, letting her rest, and pointed a simple wooded sword at them.

"Trust me; you don't want to do that." The figure warned.

However, the four attackers didn't heed the warning as they attacked him at once, just as they done to Mist.

The assassins proved to be no challenge for the brown robed figure, despite the fact that all he had was a wooden sword. He moved with the speed only a Trueblade could muster. He blocked the first assassin's attack and smacked him in the stomach with the tip of his sword and then smacked him over the head. With a single move, the warrior spun around, blocked the two other's men's blades, disarmed them, and tripped them. The robed figure then flipped over the other attacker and kneed him in the back of the neck as the man tried to attack him from behind.

"Let's get out of here." One of the men cried, running for his life, followed by his three colleagues.

After his fight, the brown robed figure knelt next to a still-recovering Mist. Her hair and shirt were drenched and she still a little shook up from her attackers. She shivered from the coldness of being so drenched.

"Are you O.K.?" Mist's savior asked, putting a warm hand on her cheek.

"Yes, thank you." Mist spoke as she sat up.

"You should be more careful, Mist. It's dangerous for you to be out alone."

"How do you know my name?" Mist began to ask. However, she was interrupted by someone calling her. It was Boyd, no doubt sent by her brother.

"Mist!" Boyd's voice began to get louder as got closer.

Mist turned away from the figure to respond to Byrd. "I'm over here!" As Mist turned to face her savior again, she realized he had vanished in the moment she had looked away.

"What? Where did he go?" Mist asked herself.

"Mist!" Boyd yelled as he ran to the girl. He noticed her dripping clothes and hair. "What happened to you? Did you fall in the river again?" Boyd asked, trying not to laugh.

"No, I was attacked." Mist retorted, angry at Boyd for laughing at her in her state.

Boyd's laughter suddenly seized as his face became serious. "By whom?" He demanded, gripping his ax.

"I don't know, but some guy helped me."

"Come." Boyd grabbed Mist by the arm and pulled her to her feet. "Your brother will want to know about this."

Great, Ike was the last person Mist wanted to tell. Knowing how protective he was of her, he wouldn't let her go anywhere by herself anymore. However, she wasn't even going to bother convincing Boyd not to tell Ike, knowing full well that would be useless.

*************

Queen Elincia finished dressing for her walk through the town. Her normally majestic clothing was replaced by a mediocre dress that a simple woman would wear. Her hair was kept in place on the top of her head by a hair net as she placed a brown wig over her green hair. She didn't want to go through with this, but Lucia was unrelenting. Elincia didn't mind dressing in normal clothes. She had done it before while trying to reclaim her kingdom, but going to such extremes annoyed her. Elincia heard a knock on her door.

"Come in, General." Elincia said, knowing it was Geoffrey.

As Geoffrey walked in, his clothes too had changed. No longer did he wear the grand armor fitted for a general, but donned a simple guard's uniform and carried a sword over his back.

"Lucia says it would be best if we pretend to be brother and sister and use false names while in town. I know you don't like it when she worries so much. There is a guard at practically every corner, so that should appease her."

"If Lucia says it is required, I suggest we listen to her." The queen smiled.  
"Now 'brother', shall we go?"

Queen Elincia placed her arm inside of Geoffrey's as the general escorted her out of the castle and into the town.

Elincia walked through the town with Geoffrey escorting her. She had to admit she liked the walk and the fresh air was nice. She also enjoyed the disguise that prevented everyone from staring at her as she walked the streets.

"Are you hungry, your highness?" Geoffrey whispered to his queen. "I'll gladly buy you lunch."

"No thank you, Geoffrey. I'm fine for the moment." Elincia replied in a hushed tone.

Unknown to Geoffrey and Queen Elincia, they were being watched. As the two strolled down the main market of Crimea's capital, one of the merchants seemed to have his eye on the queen. As the queen passed the man, he caught a glimpse of Queen Elincia's green hair that was slightly sticking out of her wig. The merchant made a motion with his head, causing a customer to walk over to him.

"That is her." The merchant told the customer.

"Are you sure?" The customer asked. "It looks nothing like her."

"Yeah, she's wearing a wig. I just saw."

"How do you know?" The customer continued to doubt his comrade.

"Trust me. Signal the men, but be careful. That man she's with appears to be General Geoffrey."

"Right." The customer agreed. The customer gave the merchant some money as he pretended to buy some fruit and ran off. As the customer walked through the town, he made his way down an abandoned alley and whistled. A man standing the rooftops nodded to the customer. The man was large and muscular. He looked a lot like an executioner. He hid his face with a black mask.

The masked man turned to view his archers who were stationed on the roof tops to give instructions.

"Remember, our target is to hit any guards that get in the way. Do not aim for the queen. We need her alive."

"That's obvious. What's point in holding her for ransom if she's dead?" One of the men replied.

"Shut up and wait for the signal." The masked man retorted.

The archers stood until the saw a flash of light from one of the buildings. Someone used a mirror to reflect light into the masked man's face.

"All right, that's the signal. Fire!" The masked man ordered.

All the archers located on top of the building lit their arrows and fired them upwards. The arrows flew down, hitting random areas of town, causing fires to break out. The archers' roles were not to aim for anyone specific, but to cause a diversion with massive panic.

As the flaming arrows rained down from the sky, people began to panic. Mothers grabbed their screaming children, merchants took cover, and guards drew their blades, ready for battle.

"Your highness, take cover!" Geoffrey ordered, not realizing what he had called her. The general grabbed Elincia and shielded her from arrows as he led her to safety. As Elincia and Geoffrey ran towards cover, an arrow hit Geoffrey in the arm, causing him to hiss in pain. He didn't cry out because he didn't want to frighten his queen.

As the two continued hid, the merchant and his customer rode towards the general and queen on horses, followed by four more bandits on horseback. Geoffrey drew his blade and prepared to fight off the attackers. The four bandits drew their swords and attacked Geoffrey. Even though it was four against one, and his enemies were on horseback, Geoffrey continued to hold his own against the bandits.

The men who played the roles of the merchant and customer were able to ride past Geoffrey as he fought the four other riders. The two men threw ropes around Elincia, trying to restrain her. However, the queen wasn't about to go down with out a fight. As the man dressed as a merchant tried to reach down and grab her, she smashed into him, knocking him off his horse. The second man threw a cloth sack over the queen, trying to prevent her from resisting.

"Your highness!" Geoffrey cried, turning his attention to his queen who was about to be kidnapped. Unfortunately, one of the bandits used the distraction as their opportunity to smack Geoffrey across the face with his blade, knocking the general unconscious.

Queen Elinica continued to struggle while she was in the sack. The four other bandits were now able to assist with trying to restrain her, and the bag was bound shut. One of the bandits hit the bag with his fist, causing it to stop moving, indicating that Elincia was unconscious. As the two bandits posed as the merchant and customer got back on their horses, the six kidnappers rode off with the archers on the rooftops continuing to fire arrows.

*********

Mist sat next to the fire as her clothes dried over a clothesline. She stayed wrapped up in a blanket for warmth and to cover her naked body. She was frustrated with Ike, who had lectured her about wandering off without telling him. She hadn't gone far and it was only for some water by the river. What was the big deal? Now she was stuck being watched by one of the other members at all times due to Ike's orders. Mist looked up to see Titania approaching her. That was good. The oldest warrior of the group, Titania acted much like a mother to Ike and Mist. At least she wouldn't treat Mist like a child. Mist hated being helpless. Someone always had to protect her. She knew how to use a sword a little bit, but Ike never let her fight during their missions. He made her stay back as a healer. Even Rhys saw more action than she did.

"That was quite an interesting story you told us." Titania spoke. "So, you don't know who your attackers were?"

Mist shook her head.

"Well, I wouldn't be too worried. They were most likely just some ruffians who had something against Ike and were trying to get to him through you. What interests me more is the warrior who helped you. You said you had no idea who he was?"

"No, I don't." Mist responded. She had already gone through this with Ike, who had interrogated her in depth.

"Hearing your description sparked some memories though. Come to think of it, I remember Soren talking some about a robed man from another village. Ike and I will mention it to him in private some time."

As Titania rose to her feet, Mist stopped her to ask her a question.

"Titania, can you teach me how to fight better?" Mist asked.

"Not without your brothers." Titania informed.

"Why not?"

"We've already been over this, Mist. Believe me when I say that your skills are better as a healer. You may think it would be exciting in the front lines, but you'd most likely have a rude awakening." Titania sighed. This wasn't the first time Mist asked Titania to teach her to fight. Since Titania was a woman warrior, Mist hoped that she would be willing to teach her, especially since she had been so close to Mist's father.

"I know that!" Mist almost shouted. "You and everyone forget that I fought in the last war too, Titania. I know what battle's like. I could take care of myself if anyone would give me a chance."

"Maybe so, but you were spared the need to kill. Healing a person covered with injuries and blood is a different than giving that man those injuries." Titania interrupted Mist again. "Both your father and brother know what's best for you, Mist. Please trust them."

Mist sighed as Titania walked away. She had a feeling she knew what the answer would be, but that still didn't prevent her from being disappointed.

*********

Lucia, along with two guards, ran down the streets towards Geoffrey, who was rising to his feet after his losing battle. Most of the archers from the rooftops had escaped, but two had been killed by Lucia. One of her informants had told her this had been planned. However, Lucia had found out a few minutes too late and failed to arrive in time to save Elincia.

Lucia helped her brother to his feet as she spoke to him.

"What happened?" Lucia questioned her brother.

"We were ambushed and she was taken. It's my fault. I wasn't able to protect her."

"Don't blame yourself." Lucia responded.

She knew Geoffrey was going to blame himself when in reality it was her fault this had happened. She was the one in charge of security and the spy network that was trying to infiltrate the rebels. However, whoever had come up with this kidnapping was able to be one step ahead of her and now Elincia would have to pay for it.

"Whatever you do, don't let anyone know the queen was with you. We don't want a panic. Come, we must tell Bastian. I'm sure he'll come up with a plan."

Little did the two sibling warriors know that their whispers were being overheard by a brown cloaked figure hiding behind a wall.

As Lucia and Geoffrey ran back to the castle, the figure spoke to himself, "So, the queen has been taken hostage. Well, that makes my job more difficult. The only question is, do I disobey orders and interfere?"

Well that's the second chapter of my story. The chapters will get longer as the story progresses. I'm almost done with the next chapter so hopefully it will be up soon. Reviews always appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3 Rescued

**Hey readers, thanks for continuing to read my story. It was brought to my attention that a few names were spelled wrong. I went in and changed the spellings of Body and Greil, so they should be correct now. Thanks for reading and enjoy.**

Ch. 3 Rescued

Queen Elincia felt herself traveling inside the sack for what felt like hours. She didn't know where she was or what to do, nor did she know what these men planned for her.

"All right, open up the bag." She heard one of the men say.

As the bag was removed from Elincia's head, she instantly recognized the man from the market. It was the merchant, and one standing next to him was the customer from his shop.

Elincia didn't waste any time to try to escape. As soon as the two kidnappers pulled her to her feet, she kicked the merchant in the crotch, causing him to fall to his knees, whimpering in pain.

"What the…" One of the men roared.

Before anyone had a chance to restrain the young queen, she stomped the foot of one of the men, which forced him to release her. One of the men holding her arms fell backwards as she threw herself on top of them. She then rolled to the side and jumped to her feet. Her hands were bound behind her, making it hard to stand, but she managed. She turned to run, but before she could take two steps, the man who had posed as the customer grabbed her and flung her to the ground.

Elincia kicked the man in the face, breaking his nose, but before she could fight any longer, three of the men jumped on her and restrained her arms and legs as she flailed.

"This bitch is strong for a young queen." One of the men commented.

To prevent further struggling, one of the men drew a knife and pointed it at the queen's throat.

Unsure if his threat was real or not, the young queen stopped fighting. She had a feeling they needed her alive, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of taking her. However, she didn't wish to take the chance, knowing full well that her life was in the hands of these men.

"Remember, we need her alive." The merchant man announced. He seemed to be in charge of the group.

Elincia glared at leader of the group with hatred. "What do you want from me?" She demanded.

"Don't sound so resentful, your highness." The leader chuckled. "We're just simple bandits trying to make some money. You just cooperate with us and nothing bad will happen."

The man put his hand on her cheek in an almost affectionate gesture. Elincia wanted to slap him, but the other bandits restrained her.

"However, if you don't cooperate." The leader continued in his faux-friendly voice. "We'll have to get a little less friendly with you, your highness."

The leader turned to the rest of his bandits. "Bind her legs and make sure she can't try another escape."

The bandits did as they were told, ensuring the queen wouldn't be able to escape again. They tied a rope around her waist and secured it to the back of the horse, forcing her to walk behind the animal.

The bandits traveled slowly for the queen, not wanting to cause her injury. However, that didn't prevent them from yelling at her to hurry up and shout threats.

************

"You fools! How could you have done something so incompetent?" Bastian lectured Lucia and Geoffrey. The two bodyguards kept their calm, knowing that arguing with Bastian would only make things worse. Besides, it was their fault.

"You two knew about the rebellion and that there was trouble around every corner. Yet, you had to tempt faith and bring her highness out of the castle, protected only by Geoffrey? What were you thinking? To make matters worse, the ambassador is supposed to arrive any day."

Bastian was a middle-aged man with long blond hair tied in a pony tail. He had a blond mustache and goatee and wore black noblemen's clothing. He was the queen's most trusted adviser and mage

"They were thinking she needed time out of the castle so she didn't begin to feel like a bird trapped in a gilded cage." An elderly knight dressed in gold armor spoke.

Bastian immediately quieted with this man's remark. If anyone else had spoken that way, they would have received a consequence. However, this man was Lord Renning, Bastian's former lord and Queen Elincia's uncle.

Bastian, Lord Renning, Lucia, and Geoffrey were the only four present at the meeting. Bastian closed the meeting to prevent the public from learning the queen had been kidnapped. The guards who stood at the door were ordered to block off the entire hall so no one could even walk by the room. Such a strange request made the guards reluctant, but they didn't dare disobey a direct order from Bastian.

"What do you propose we do, Bastian? It is your job to come up with solutions to such disasters." Lord Renning spoke to the arch-mage.

"I know, but I don't have a plan yet." Bastian responded. "I need time to think." Bastian stood up and leaned against the wall, stroking his goatee. This was an indication he was already deep in thought and forming a plan. The other three members of the meeting watched as the gears in Bastian's head turned.

"I got it." Bastian snapped, as he reached for one of his spell books on a shelf. He quickly paged through the book until he found the spell he wanted.

"Send my troops after them." Geoffrey interrupted the arch-mage. "We'll kill those bastards and have her highness back within a day."

"That would not be a wise move." Bastian warned as he continued to skim pages. "That would be by no means discrete and a small army may cause the kidnappers to use harsh actions. The kidnappers either did this for money or they could be linked to the rebellion. Either way, sending a large number of troops would be exactly what they want. It would weaken our defenses and allow them to invade the capital. No, if we are going to send someone after the queen, it has to be someone who isn't a royal guard." Bastian found the spell he was looking for. "Ah, here it is."

Bastian chanted and sparks of light that began to spiral in a circle shot out of his hands. The spark continued to spin until Queen Elincia appeared in front of them.

"Your highness!" Geoffrey quickly lowered to one knee and bowed chivalrously.

"No, just a copy." Bastian corrected.

Geoffrey quickly returned to his feet, embarrassed he had fallen for such a simple trick. It didn't even quite look like the queen. This copy's face was much paler.

"As we all know." Bastian explained. "The queen has not been overly well lately. Anyone could see that if they looked hard enough. Geoffrey, you will escort her 'highness' to her room. Tell any who ask that she has become greatly ill and she is not to be disturbed. Stand guard at her room, and if anyone wishes to see her, tell them they can take it up with me."

"Yes, but what about the real queen?" Geoffrey asked, still concerned.

"I'm getting to that." Bastian explained, writing a letter. "As I said before, we need someone who isn't in our royal guard. But, we also need someone we can trust who will get the job done quickly. Lucia, bring this letter to Marcia, the Pegasus rider. It's for Ike. A Pegasus knight will be able to travel much faster than any man on horse…"

"Did you just say Ike?" Geoffrey suddenly interrupted.

"Yes, I did. No one is better in such a business than he is, nor is anyone more loyal to her highness. Now go!"

"Right." Lucia and Geoffrey responded instantaneously. Geoffrey took hold of the fake queen's arm and led the illusion out of the room while Lucia took the message from Bastian and left to find Marcia.

Ike, Titania, and Soren sat a table in a small hut as they conversed privately.

"I think you are being overprotective of her, Ike." Titania spoke up. "I know you care for Mist, but you don't want to be so overprotective that you alienate her."

"I'm sorry; I know I'm being overprotective of her." Ike admitted, "But I don't want to see anything happen to her again. I've already lost my mother and father; I don't want to see her gone, too."

"I understand." Titania acknowledged. "Just please consider my words."

"Very well." Ike agreed.

"I'd also like to bring up another thing regarding your sister."

"What?"

"She has asked me to train her to fight."

"The answer is no." Ike responded coolly.

"Why not?" Titania asked calmly. She knew better to lecture Ike on this matter, but she knew she could merely bring up points that he had not yet considered.

"Because I don't want to see her in battle."

"Ike, she's already been in battle. We have all been. We're mercenaries."

"I don't mean like that. I mean actually fighting an enemy close up, risking her life. We all fought in the Mad King's War, and we have all seen how people die in battle. I will not endanger my sister's life. Besides, Mist has no idea what it feels like to have to kill an opponent, and I doubt her loving heart could take such a blow."

"I don't see why we can't teach her some self defense."

"Soren, you said you have gathered information that is somehow linked to Mist's attack." Ike suddenly changed the conversation.

Tatania rolled her eyes. Sometimes Ike could be so stubborn.

"Yes, it isn't much, and it may only be speculation. But nonetheless, I feel it is important."

"Ike!" Young Rolf burst through the door and interrupted the meeting. All three members of the meeting turned to the teen and glared. Even he knew better than to burst in so rudely.

"I'm sorry." Rolf apologized. "But Lady Marcia is here with a letter from the Queen."

"Elincia!" Ike quickly jumped from his chair and ran out the door with the others mercenaries behind him.

Marcia was a young, pink-haired knight dressed in light red armor. Her Pegasus stood next to her, a rare and majestic beast that only let strong-hearted women ride them.

"Marcia." Ike spoke quickly. "What news do you have?"

"Not good, I'm afraid." Marcia handed the letter to Ike, who handed it over to Soren since Ike couldn't read very well.

Soren read the contents of the letter quickly. "It says the queen has been kidnapped." Soren explained.

"What!?" Ike asked, his voice booming.

"Bastian wants to hire us to get her back. He has already given us a large number of credits for taking on the job and will pay us more when we succeed."

"Only your group and a very small number of her highness's most loyal members know of this." Marcia explained. "If word travels, we may have a civil war. Ike, will you take this job?"

"Of course I'll take this job." Ike responded. Ike immediately began to bark orders to the group. "Tatania, have everyone break camp now. We march immediately. Soren, how much do you know of the situation from that letter?"

"Enough to start forming a plan." Soren spoke, knowing what his part in the rescue mission would be.

"Good, I want to hear it as soon as it's developed." Ike responded. "Marcia, tell Bastian we will have her highness back safely or he can have my head on a platter."

"Your willingness will not go unrewarded." Marcia spoke, mounting her Pegasus. "I will tell Bastion."

**********

The bandits brought Queen Elincia towards a cave, which was apparently their base.

"Hurry up, you." The leader ordered Elincia as he tugged at her rope. Elincia was lead through the dark cave. It was cold and damp, sending chills down her spine due to her lightweight dress.

"Here's where you'll be staying." The leader announced, bringing her to a cell with shackles. "Sorry. If we knew we were having such a loyal guest, we'd have fixed the place up."

Elincia didn't respond to the man's cruel joke. She remained silent merely glared at him. The man pushed Elincia into her cell and put the shackles on her feet and hands.

"Silent treatment?" The leader asked. "I have to say, I'm a little hurt, your highness."

"You will be punished." Elincia suddenly spoke up in a threatening tone.

The man pushed Elincia onto her back and put his face so that it was only an inch away from hers as he began to run his hands down her hair.

"I wouldn't be the one making threats if I were you." He warned. His tone had suddenly changed from mocking to deadly. He stood up and slammed the door behind him as he left a shaking Elincia alone.

**********

The brown-cloaked figure had been able to track the bandits to their hide out, where he checked out the situation from behind the rock. He didn't know if his lord would be happy with him interfering but he couldn't resist helping a damsel in distress. Besides, he was sure his lord would be a little understanding.

The men had tried to hide their path; their skill of hiding their path was poor when compared the brown robed figure. The figure noticed there were two people standing guard at the entrance of the cave. That was easy enough, but he had no idea how many people were inside. He could probably defeat every single one of them regardless of numbers, but he didn't wish to risk the queen's life. He would have to use his stealth to get past this situation.

The cloaked figure moved silently, ducking and hiding as he went. He was so skilled in such ways that the two guards didn't even notice that he stood behind them until it was too late.

"Good afternoon." The cloaked figure greeted.

Before the guards had a chance to draw their weapons, the figure smacked their heads together, knocking them both unconscious. He set them with the backs to each other and put an empty bottle in the one's hand, making it look like they had fallen asleep from boredom and drinking too much.

The figure snuck through the cave with ease. The darkness of the cave gave him cover, but that was no excuse for him to be sloppy. He made sure not to let a single sound heard or a single footprint noticed. The brown cloaked figure heard two of the men talking as he hid in the shadows.

"What do you think the captain will do to the queen?" One of the men asked.

"I'm not sure, but it's unfair that we're stuck on patrol, everyone else is drinking." The other replied.

"Well, if that's the case, I suppose we know what the captain will do, won't we." The first man laughed.

The robed figure had heard enough as he reached out from the shadows and grabbed both of the men, covering their mouths and pulling them into the darkness.

The figure continued through the cave and beyond an area where the bandits were celebrating. This area of the cave was well lit, making it harder to sneak through. A large table was in the middle of the area where the men drank and laughed.

"Say, anyone know where the captain went?" One of the men asked.

"Beats me." Another answered. "Probably went to pay the queen a visit. Needs to make sure he has his fun with her before we give her to the rebellion."

One of the men noticed a small piece of cloth sticking out of the doorway.

"Say, what is that?" The man asked, as the cloth disappeared from sight.

Three of the men got up to check it out.

'_Great_', the brown robed figure thought. He began to look for a place to quickly jump and hide before he was discovered. He wasn't quick enough though, for the three men peered through the door.

"Intru…" They were about to yell, but the robed figure knocked them out cold with a single blow to their heads.

Upon hearing this, several men rose to their feet to rush over. The robed figure had to move quickly.

*********-

Elincia sat quietly in her cell. She tried to keep attention away from herself when she heard the door open. In staggered the captain, already drunk. Elincia could smell the alcohol on him from across the cell.

Elincia didn't answer. She merely closed her eyes and ignored him, thus irritating the man.

"You know, you should really show more respect to your captors." The man hissed, opening the door. He once again pushed the queen down and put his hand on her cheek.

"This isn't the first time my group and I have had to capture noble women. Usually we do it for ransom. When I heard we were hired to capture the queen, I was expecting some fearful little child. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised that you turned out like you are. Your fearlessness makes your beauty more desirable."

Hearing this, the queen's eyes suddenly filled with terror. He wouldn't dare. Or at least she hoped not.

As the man's hand began to reach towards her chest, she closed her eyes as her body began to shiver. However, before the man could even touch her, she heard a loud clunking noise and the man's hand was no longer even touching her face.

Elincia opened her eyes to see a man dressed in a brown robe, carrying blue cane in one hand, and holding the unconscious captain by the back of the shirt with the other.

"Don't worry, your highness. I'm a friend." The robbed figure assured.

The figure dropped the captain and shot a ball of fire at the Queen's shackles around her legs, causing the chain between the shackles to snap in two. He then knelt besides the queen and began to pick the shackles on her arms with a lock pick. He didn't dare use magic to burn the shackles because they would risk hurting her. The figure finished unlocking the shackles when they heard a voice yell.

"Intruders!"

"We've been discovered." The brown cloaked figure announced.

"Don't worry about the other shackle, this is enough." The queen assured, picking up the unconscious captain's blade. It was heavier than what she had trained with, but still useable.

Seven men burst into the cell, weapons drawn. Using the chain that was still attached to her left hand, she flung it around one of the men's legs and pulled him off his feet with a tug. She then leapt on the man and punched him in the face, knocking him out.

By that time, the brown cloaked figure defeated four of the men with his cane. The bandits were easy to fight. Most of them weren't even warriors, just scum looking for easy money. Queen Elincia blocked one of the bandit's attacks with her blade, and was able to disarm him. The robed figure threw the bandit he was fighting on top of the one Elincia was fighting, knocking them both out.

"This way." The brown-cloaked figure instructed, leading Elincia through the cave.

"There they are, stop them!" A bandit yelled, as four more ran towards the Queen and her savior.

The cloaked man threw some seeds at the four bandits, which exploded into strange pollen. The pollen seemed to paralyze the men for they couldn't move and they then fell to the floor, shaking as they tried to move.

"I think that was the last of them." The cloaked figure explained as they made their way towards the exit of the cave. "Stay here and I will scout ahead, just in case."

"Very well." The young queen agreed, even though as just demonstrated, she could fight as well.

**********

The two men at the mouth of the cave slowly returned to their feet, completely confused by what had just happened. As they rubbed the back of their necks, two arrows zoomed through the air, hitting each of them in the heart and killing them.

"Great shot." Rolf congratulated Shinon.

"Well, naturally. What did you expect? I never miss." The sniper bragged.

Ike and his group had wasted no time in tracking the bandits, and Soren had already devised a plan to get the queen out safely.

Shinon, Rolf, Oscar, and Boyd were to take out the first wave of enemies with their arrows. Then Mia, Titania, and Gatrie would attack head on, creating a diversion for Ike to slip in unnoticed and rescue the queen. If needed, Boyd, Oscar, and Soren would also attack the enemy as a second wave of fighters in case the first three warriors were outnumbered. Chances were the bandits wouldn't expect a mage, giving Soren an advantage and reason to stay back as a trump card.

"Another one is approaching." Rolf whispered to the other three archers.

Shinon drew another arrow as a brown-cloaked figure walked out of the cave.

"This coward doesn't even the nerve to show his face." Shinon commented. "Well, consider him dead."

Shinon released his arrows towards the man's chest, but his surprise, the man caught the arrow with ease. The man used a spell to cast fire around the arrow and threw it in the direction that it came.

"What? No way!" Shinon gasped. No one could ever catch one of _his _arrows.

"It's another ambush!" The man warned, yelling inside the cave. "Stay where you are!"

"What now?" Rolf asked.

"All at once?" Oscar suggested.

All four archers shot a volley of arrows at the single target. The man was able to catch two of the arrows, dodge the third, but the fourth hit him in the leg.

**********-

Queen Elincia heard the man's cry of pain from outside the cave, and was debating whether or not to come to his aid. She didn't wish to see her savior get hurt. A hand suddenly touched her shoulder. Queen Elincia spun around and slashed, but the figured grabbed her arm before she could and quickly covered her mouth.

"Don't worry your highness, it is me." A familiar voice spoke.

The hand released Elincia and as the man walked into the light.

"Ike!" She had to prevent herself from yelling his name. Her heart was burst with joy to see the blue haired mercenary again.

"Don't worry, your highness. We're here to rescue you."

"But I've been rescued."

"What?"

"Wait, that ambush… It couldn't be." Elincia's eyes suddenly widened with fear as she realized what had happened outside the cave.

********-

"This one is more difficult than I anticipated." Soren hid with the warriors who were going to charge into battle. "Titania, take him down. We'll cover you if needed."

"Right."

Titania charged into battle on her horse, swinging her massive ax. The robed figure rolled out of the way. Realizing that riding a horse put her at disadvantage, she jumped off her horse and swung her ax at the man once again. The man once again dodged, but barely. Titania continued to swing her ax at the man, but he was able to either dodge her attacks or block them with his cane.

'_Titania!'_ The man thought. _'This must mean that Greil and his mercenaries are here. Great. They are the last people I wish to fight right now.'_

A fire ball appeared in the man's hand to throw at Titania to knock her down, knowing that it wasn't strong enough to penetrate her thick armor. However, he was knocked several feet through the air by a powerful blast of wind before he could throw the fire ball at her.

The figure smashed into the side of the mountain with a thud, cracking the sides of it.

Rhys and Mist crouched low in the grass, trying their best to remain hiding. Since they were healers, they had to stay far enough away from the battle to avoid getting caught in the cross fire, but close enough so they could reach any of their warriors.

"I want to see." Mist huffed to the older healer.

"Shh, stay quiet Mist." Rhys ordered.

Rhys lowered himself slightly so Mist could see over his shoulder.

"What, that's him!" Mist shouted seeing the brown-cloaked figure.

"What?" Rhys asked confused.

"Quickly, finish him while he's stunned!" Soren ordered.

With those words, Shinon aimed another arrow at the man.

"No, wait!" Mist hollered, jumping in front of the man.

"Mist, no!" Soren shouted. "Shinon, hold your fire!"

It was too late. Shinon had already released the arrow. Now the arrow was about to collide right into the girl.

"Mist watch out!" Titania screamed.

Before anyone could move to save Mist, the clocked figure suddenly jumped up, grabbed the girl in his arms, and protected her by using own body as a shield.

"Mist!" Boyd yelled as the mercenaries ran out of their hiding spots, weapons drawn. Even Rhys had his cane out. The top of it glowed, indicating that at a second's notice he would use some of his light magic to shock anyone he needed to.

Mist could still feel herself in the man's arms. He was breathing heavily from the battle. The arrow had struck him in the back. Knowing how strong Shinon's bow was, she was shocked that he hadn't collapsed from the beating that he had taken. Everyone surrounded her and the man.

"That's enough!" Queen Elincia's voice boomed. "Don't you harm a single hair on that man's chest!"

"Your highness." Rhys spoke, suddenly bowing.

Ike appeared behind Queen Elincia.

"From what her highness has told me, this man risked his life rescuing her. Do as she commands."

The mercenaries began to back away from the man.

"You tried to protect me." The figure spoke. "You could have been killed, Mist."

"Well, you're the one who saved my life twice." Mist commented. "What's your name, and how do you know me."

Rhys knelt by the man to inspect his wounds. "You're mortally wounded. I need to inspect your wounds. Remove your cloak."

"No." The man objected.

"Oh, don't worry." Mist assured with an innocent smile. "Brother Rhys is one of the nicest people in the world. He won't hurt you."

Before the man could stop her, she reached up and began to remove his hood. However, as she did, she jumped back and everyone gasped at whom they saw.

**So the hooded figure has just been revealed. Can anyone guess who he is?**


	4. Chapter 4 Revealed

I do not own Fire Emblem. Nintendo owns everything in this fan fiction.

Ch. 4 Revealed

Elincia and the mercenaries stared at the man, for half of them had only heard of his kind in legend. He had large, pointed ears and long, blond-brown hair. Mist could see his face, and blushed slightly at how handsome he was. His eyes were a clear blue and his features looked like they could have been crafted by the goddesses themselves.

"A Hylian." Soren suddenly spoke. "Haven't seen one of them in a while."

Boyd, Rolf, and Mia stared at Soren with confusion. Even Rhys seemed surprised by the man's presence.

"Hylian?" Mist questioned, running through the name in her mind. "I remember you. A little over four years ago, my father brought us to your continent. We were hired by Impa to protect the princess. We also met you there. I can't remember your name though."

The Hylian stood.

"His name is Link." Ike responded, remembering the boy quite well. "He was about Mist's age."

"Yes, and if I remember correctly, he looked a lot like you." Soren hinted.

The Hylian stared at Soren, trying to read his expression, but as usual, Soren didn't show any emotions.

"You're as clever as always, Soren." The Hylian complimented. The Hylian turned to Queen Elincia and bowed. "Your highness, I am Link of Hyrule. I was asked by Princess Zelda to travel here and serve as an ambassador. Please forgive my disguise, but I didn't wish to draw any unneeded attention."

"I see." Soren acknowledged. "I suppose that would be an intelligent move."

"Your highness. We should return you to your home." Ike responded. Ike seemed apprehensive around Link. However, only Soren and Mist could tell. Soren remembered how he and Link had gotten along, and he knew Ike had every right to be apprehensive around the Hylian.

"What about the bandits?" Oscar asked.

"That's easy. Kill them." Shinon suggested.

Queen Elincia intervened. "I will not have execution in my country." She ordered. "They will be taken to the capital's prison, where they can be questioned further."

Many bit their tongues when the queen gave commands, but Ike didn't pay any attention.

"You heard the queen." The blue-haired mercenary spoke. "If she doesn't wish blood spilled, that's the way it is. Soren, Boyd, find some rope. Mist, Rhys, I want you to heal Link and Queen Elincia. The rest of you, gather the bandits. If they try to resist, knock them out again."

Everyone did as Ike commanded. Rhys moved away from Link before he got a chance to examine the Hylian's wounds.

"Don't worry about me." The queen insisted. "I'm fine. Worry about Link."

"You don't need to worry about me either." Link responded, removing arrows from his body. Everyone around him cringed.

"I've been hurt much worse than this. Besides, my body heals faster than a normal person's. I'll be fine."

"O.K." Rhys agreed, not wishing to argue with the stubborn Hylian. "But if you need healing, just ask."

"Thank you, Brother Rhys." Link addressed the Monk by his title as a show of respect.

Soon the bandits were rounded up with their hands tied to each other in a straight line and their legs and hands bound.

"Listen up." Ike barked. "Queen Elincia has ordered that you be brought in for questioning. However, if any of you try to escape, those orders may be changed to death. Do you all understand?"

Elincia knew Ike was bluffing. He knew her well enough to know she would never allow capital punishment. He was trying to scare the bandits into submission.

"That is correct. You can come quietly, or you can die." Queen Elincia informed.

"Oh please, you're only bluffing." One of the bandits laughed. "I know Queen Elincia's reputation. She's a spineless weakling who won't allow torture or execution in her country. No harm will come to us regardless of the situation. You'll never be able to make any of us talk."

Ike wouldn't have cared if the bandit shot off his mouth towards him, but to insult the queen enraged the mercenary greatly. No one referred to the queen that way while he was around. Ike was about to beat the bandit to a pulp when Soren shot a blast of lightning at the man for his insubordination. The bandit screamed as the lightning hit him and he fell to his knees.

"I suggest you get up and start moving unless you want another shock." Soren ordered. "I'm not a merciful mage and I will gladly kill any of you for not cooperating."

Soren's heartless tone and fake blood lust did the trick. The bandits began to move as fast as they could.

"Titania, Oscar, I want you to make sure none of these bastards go astray." Ike informed his two cavaliers.

Oscar and Titania rode around the bandits, hurrying any that lagged behind. Queen Elincia and the majority of the mercenaries stayed far in front of them. However, Link lagged behind, almost as if he wanted to be alone, but his attempts were unsuccessful because Mist walked beside him. She continued to make small talk, and he would respond gracefully and politely to her. The girl had taken an immediate liking to him, something that most young women tended to do.

Ike continually glanced at Link and Mist and shot Link almost accusing glares, especially when he heard laughter from Mist. Though Mist didn't notice, Link did, and he would reply with a look that said "what?" There was no crime in being friendly.

"Alright, let's stop here for the night." Ike ordered. "Tie them to the trees and if they try to escape, let Soren take care of them."

"I'll get some firewood." Link offered.

"Can I come with?" Mist asked.

"If you wish." Link answered.

Mist quickly followed Link.

"You know, it's funny." Mist laughed. "You've grown so much since I last saw you. I still remember you as the little boy my father had high hopes for."

"Well, I've grown Lady Mist." Link chuckled. "Just as you have."

"Oh, you don't have to call me lady." Mist assured, blushing slightly.

"Isn't your brother a lord though?" Link asked. "That would make you a lady."

"Yeah, but he doesn't use that title much. Besides, it sounds too formal."

"Right." Link smiled.

Link suddenly fell to his knees, cringing in pain.

"Oh no! Link, what's wrong?" Mist ran to Link's side and tried to help the Hylian up.

Link smiled weakly. "Ever since I've come here, there has been a person in need of rescuing, so I have been rescuing many. Unfortunately, I've been getting a lot of damage from that."

"I can heal you." Mist offered. She took out her staff and pointed it towards Link's body. The top of the staff began to glow as Link felt its magic flow into his body and heal his wounds.

"See?" Mist giggled. "You should accept help more often."

Once Mist finished healing Link, he rose to his feet.

"Thank you." Link thanked the girl. "I didn't know you were a healer."

"Brother Rhys taught me." Mist responded with a shy smile. "My father wanted me to learn a skill that could help the group, but keep me safe, so Brother Rhys taught me how to heal. Personally, I wish I could have learned how to fight."

"Why?" Link asked.

"Do you know about the Mad King's War?" Mist asked.

"Yes. Some psycho tried to take over this continent and enslave the Laguz, thus starting a war across this continent."

"Yeah. That war took my father." Mist said sadly. "We all took part in that war. I was always at the sidelines as a healer. People came to me covered in blood and injuries. I did the best I could to help them. Usually, I had to find Rhys since I was only a novice then. I just always felt so useless during the war. Someone always had to watch my back and protect me. Even now that I'm an adult, Ike makes someone watch me. I want to learn to fight. I don't want to be treated like a child anymore. I want to be able to defend myself and be a warrior."

"Trust me; you _don't_ want to be a warrior."

"But I do." Mist insisted. "It would be so exciting! I'd be able to travel without someone watching me and I'd be able to help fight off bandits with my brother instead of staying in the sidelines, protected by him."

"You've heard too many heroic tails of brave knights, Mist." Link smiled. "Take it from someone who knows, being a warrior is not as fun as it sounds in the stories. Sure, you get to travel, but trust me, it gets old after awhile. As far as saving lives, the only way a warrior saves a life is by taking another. My life has been full of bloodshed and killing. You will save more lives as a great healer than as a warrior."

Link heard ruffling in the bushes and quickly drew his blade.

"Get behind me." Link ordered.

Luckily for the both of them, the ruffling was only Soren.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Soren sneered. "Ike wondered how long it took to find firewood."

"Sorry Soren." Link apologized. "We were side tracked."

"Not everyone has that luxury, Link." Soren responded hastily. "Mist, report back to camp. I would like to speak with Link alone."

"O.K." Mist sighed. She waved to her friend. "Bye, Link! See you later."

Link smiled and waved back. Link felt slightly awkward around Soren. He didn't exactly have a reputation of being a friendly person, so this private chat probably wasn't a good thing.

"I hope you aren't trying to seduce my best friend's little sister, Link." Soren stated bluntly.

"This is what you wanted to talk to me about?" Link asked. "Have I done anything that could be considered more than just friendship?"

"You risked your life for her. More than once."

"I've done that for countless of people."

"I know. You are quite the hero from where you come from."

"What's your point?"

"Mist has grown since the last time you've seen her, but she still acts like the innocent thirteen year old you remember. Despite what she has seen and learned, she is very young for her age."

"I know. She reminds me of my little sister."

"Yes. She acts like a little sister, but she's a year older than you, and has become a beautiful woman, which is why I should warn you. Ike and I have done what we can to protect her from perverted jerks and handsome heroes that might break her heart. If you were to hurt her…"

"I'm not going to hurt her!" Link's voice was now a shout. This infuriated him. How dare someone accuse him of trying to seduce Mist? He had no interest in her in that way. "Someone as clever as you should understand that. We're friends and that is all!"

"I know you truly believe that. However, if you do hurt my best friends little sister, you'd best never show your face in this continent again." Soren opened up his spell book as he spoke, and then closed it, causing small flames to escape from the pages. He was trying to intimidate Link, but Link only glared.

Link remembered the mage as a very cold and blunt person, but he had become even worse with age. Link had dealt with archmages before. Some of them had been more powerful than Soren. Even if Soren's threat was true, Link had no fear of it, nor would he show fear even if he did.

"Good day, Link." Soren turned around and left the forest. Link stayed to gather firewood and practice his swordsmanship. He needed time to cool off.

Soren returned to camp. Mist was waiting for him and Link to return.

"I heard yelling." Mist claimed. "What was that about?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Soren claimed. "I just had to explain something to our stubborn hero."

"You were mean to him, weren't you?" Mist accused.

"I merely said what had to be said." Soren informed, walking away.

Mist knew Soren well and understood what he meant.

"You better not have been a jerk to him!" Mist yelled at him as he ignored her. "He's an important man, you know. At least turn around while I'm yelling at you!"

Mia walked over and put her arm on Mist's shoulder. "Relax." Mia calmed. "You know how Soren is. He can really be a buttface at times." Mia had always liked the archmage, but even she admitted he was too rude at times.

"Yeah, I know." Mist sighed. "He just has no right speaking that way to Link. Not after everything he has done."

Link returned to camp. He had cooled down and it appeared to everyone but Soren that he had never been upset in the first place.

"Link! Are you O.K.?" Mist asked the Hylian. "Soren wasn't mean, was he?"

"Oh, don't worry." Link assured her with his friendly tone. "We merely got into a controversial argument, causing both of us to lose our tempers." Link smiled at the two ladies and sat down by Oscar, curious to see what the man was cooking.

"He is so adorable." Mia giggled, whispering into her friend ears.

"What?" Mist asked with surprised.

"Well, you've got to admit he's cute. I'm not one to be a damsel in distress, but I wouldn't mind being my knight in shining armor and save me." Mia giggled. "I bet even Titania could fall for someone like him."

Titania walked by at that moment and shot Mia a glare, but couldn't help but smile. "I heard that." The warrior woman warned jokingly as she walked past.

Mia began to whistle innocently while Mist blushed.

That night, everyone was charged with an hour to watch the prisoners. The prisoners were tied to trees firmly, snoring as they slept. How the group of Mercenaries and Queen Elincia could sleep was unknown. Link seemed to sleep with one eye open. Every noise woke the young Hylian warrior with sudden alertness, but once he discovered the sound was nothing more than a squirrel or bird, he would fall back into a deep sleep.

Ike sat by the campfire, resting on his sword as he watched the queen sleep peacefully. He seemed determined not to let her out of his sight.

"You should get some sleep." Soren suggested as he walked up to Ike.

Soren and Ike went a long way back. Ike and his sister were the only two people Soren spoke pleasantly to and actually liked. He had the utmost loyalty towards Ike and would follow his leader to hell and back if necessary. Ike trusted Soren with his life and would often confide in the older Wind Mage.

Soren spoke. "You are tired, yet you refuse to sleep. You have a lot on your mind at the moment. Your thoughts are full of confusion and emotions that you thought didn't exist."

"Should have known you'd figure me out." Ike smiled. Soren had a knack for reading Ike's mind when something was wrong, whether the Mercenary was heartbroken, or just exhausted from a hard day's work.

"I just want to make sure she's safe." Ike answered. "She was almost killed last time. I should have stayed with her and protected her."

"We're mercenaries. We go where the trouble is because that's how we get paid." Soren reminded. "There was nothing left for you to do. She was safe when we left her. You couldn't have known that would happen to her."

"I guess we should thank Link." Ike restored. "Without him, we would have never made it in time."

"He's the other thing that bothers you."

"Yes. I wish you had spoken to me first before threatening him. It's not like you to rush into action like that."

"Yes, but I said before, I felt it was necessary. I doubt he is trying to seduce Mist, but I already saw Mia gawking at him."

"Yes, then we'll just have to watch him around the ladies." Ike responded.

"There is something else bothering you. It's about your past with Link, isn't it?"

"Yes. You remember when we were younger, right?"

"If you're asking if I remember the little boy who could defeat you in battle even though you were in your late teens, then yes, I remember. This is the same boy whose swordsman skills your father praised so you became jealous."

"Yes, and as you know, I was kind of a bully to him because of that." Ike admitted.

Soren smiled, indicating that he knew Ike wasn't telling the whole truth.

"O.K., I was a complete ass."

"I suppose you never apologized to him."

"I suppose I should, shouldn't I? I mean, especially after everything he did. He deserves better than how he's be treated by most of us so far."

"I will not apologize for what I told him. As I said before, it was necessary, even though I'm sure you'll apologize for me."

"How is it that you know exactly what I'm thinking before I do?"

"It is an easy skill to accomplish if one is willing to simply observe, especially because I know you so well. I suppose that leaves the problem with her highness. I wish I could help you, but I've never felt emotions like that, so all I can say is follow your heart. Now get some sleep, Ike. Your eyes are beginning to twitch."

"Right, thanks for the…pep talk, Soren. Pass the message that we rise early so we can return to the castle by tomorrow."

"Of course. The sooner we return the queen, the sooner we get paid and can go on another job."

*********

Soren had made sure everyone was ready early that morning and already on the road. Knowing they were heading to a small canyon, Soren suggested that Titania and Oscar ride ahead to scout for danger, while Shinon and Rolf took a road that led to the top of the canyon to watch for trouble from above.

"Remember to be careful." Ike warned. "These canyons are notorious for bandits and ambushes. Stay together."

As the group traveled through the canyon, Link tensed up.

"What's wrong?" Mist asked.

"I don't know, but I have an uneasy feeling." Link responded. "I hate it when I get those."

"Why?" The girl asked.

An arrow suddenly shot at Mist from the shadows, but Link caught it before it could hit the girl.

"That's why." Link stated.

Arrows flew towards the mercenaries.

"We're under attack. Go to the plan!" Ike ordered.

Link used his magic to raise a barrier around himself and Mist, protecting them from the arrows. Rhys raised his staff, causing a sphere of white light to surround him.

"Get into the barriers!" Ike commanded.

Mia, Mist, and Boyd were able to gather into Link's barrier, while Soren and Gatrie reached Rhys and were protected by the Priest's barrier.

Ike and Elincia ran towards Rhys' barrier when an arrow shot towards the Queen.

"Your highness, get down." Ike yelled, pushing the queen into Rhys' barrier for protection. He found himself vulnerable to the unknown attackers.

"Damn it Ike! The plan didn't include you being a hero!" Soren yelled, jumping out of the barrier and grabbing Ike. Using his own magic, Soren made a barrier of wind surround Ike and himself, blowing away any arrows.

Link drew an arrow of his own and took aim toward the areas he noticed arrow coming from and fired. He heard a grunt of pain that assured him he had hit his target and a dead body fell from one of the canyon walls.

"I hate this kind of work." Link growled. He drew another arrow and fired, killing another man.

"Looks like I'll be praying for forgiveness tonight." The Hylian mumbled.

"Shinon, look!" Rolf pointed to the snipers that the two mercenaries could see from above the canyon. "We need to do something."

"Well, thanks for pointing out the obvious." The skilled sniper informed the younger archer. "Take down as many as you can."

Rolf began to fire arrow after arrow.

Shinon began to scan the ground. He knew that to end this, he only needed to capture one person. _'There. That one.'_ The master sniper thought to himself. There was a larger man who didn't have a bow and was hiding behind a rock. He barked orders as if he was in charge. That one must be the leader.

Shinon slid down the wall of the canyon as quietly as he could, trying his best not to be noticed. Luckily, the enemy archers were too busy trying to fire at Rolf, who was now giving them hell. Shinon sneaked behind the leader of the group and held a knife to the man's threat.

"Call off your men now, unless you want to see the goddess of judgment." Shinon ordered.

The leader gave his men a look and they took off running.

"Stupid cowards." Shinon growled. "You're coming with us." Shinon informed the man as he led him down a path towards Ike and the others.

"Rolf, stay up there, just in case." Shinon ordered.

*********

"Mist, your highness, are you two O.K." Ike asked, making his first priority his loved ones.

"Yes, we're O.K. Thank you for protecting me." The queen responded.

"No thanks necessary, your highness. It is my duty to do so." The mercenary replied.

"We're fine too." Mist replied. "Thanks to Link."

"Yes, that is true." Ike admitted.

"Ike! The prisoners are dead." Rhys checked the pulses of the bandits. They had been targets of the deadly arrows, and in all of the commotion, no one could help them.

"What? No." Queen Elicnia gasped, putting her hands over her mouths. She couldn't help but pity the bandits that had been struck down in a helpless state.

With a swoosh of his cape, Link covered Mist's eyes from the tragic seen, not wanting the innocent girl to see such bloodshed. Little did he know she had seen horrors worse than this during the Mad King's War.

"I thought the Queen was the target of this attack, but it appears these bandits were the main targets." Soren spoke.

"What are you getting at?" Ike asked.

"I feel someone is out to get Queen Elincia." Soren responded. "First, she was kidnapped from the capital, a well protected town, and now her kidnappers have just been killed coincidentally. Someone wanted these bandits dead so they wouldn't talk. Shame, I would have liked to see their leader survive. He would have been the one to question."

"Oh don't worry; we got the leader right here." Shinon informed, as he brought the leader of the archers to Ike, his knife still pointed at the man. Shinon kicked the man in the back of legs, causing him to fall to his knees.

Soren grabbed some rope and bound the man while Ike interrogated him.

"Why did you attack us?" Ike demanded.

"This is our turf." The man exclaimed. "Any man who comes here is killed and looted. Any woman who comes here is taken for our pleasure."

"I highly doubt that is the truth." Soren responded. "No matter. We will continue this investigation at the castle. Maybe we will find other methods that will make you talk."

"If you think you can threaten me with torture, you are damn wrong." The leader laughed. "I'm no fool. Torture is illegal in Crimea."

"I'll just have to find a way around that rule." Soren hissed.

Ike seemed displeased with this comment due to the fact that Elincia was present. However, Soren assured Ike with wink that he was bluffing.

Titania and Oscar returned from their scouting.

"I suggest you two keep a better eye out for trouble." Soren lectured. "This scum nearly ambushed us."

"How? This area was clear when we checked." Titania spoke.

"It is possible they arrived after you checked this place." Link suggested. "They were well hidden. It would have been impossible for you to see them if they remained behind the rocks."

"True." Soren agreed.

"Titania, Oscar, remain with us from now on." Ike spoke. "If we do get ambushed again, I would rather we stay in a group so they can't pick us off. Shinon, Rolf, you two stay on top of the canyon." Ike ordered. "You're our best bet to see trouble before it gets us."

"Right." Rolf agreed.

Rolf and Shinon traveled ahead of the group.

"Hey, Shinon, look at that." The boy pointed.

Shinon and Rolf dived behind a large boulder to hide behind as they watched the scene. The same cowards that had ambushed Ike earlier were now pushing large barrels towards a rock formation.

"Oh no." Shinon huffed.

"What's wrong?" Rolf asked.

"They're going to try to cause a rock slide and kill everyone." Shinon explained. "We need to warn Ike to turn back."

"Too late." Rolf informed, pointing at Ike and his approaching group. "They're already here." Rolf jumped up and ran to the edge of the canyon. He began to scream. "Turn around, it's a trap!"

"Rolf, you idiot!" Shinon growled.

Rolf had blown their cover and now the bandits were about to attack the boy. Shinon quickly drew two arrows and released them, killing a bandit with each.

Rolf ducked out of the way of a bandit who swung a club, and then pushed the large man over the canyon.

"What did Rolf just say?" Rhys asked.

"It's a trap!" Link yelled.

Oscar and Titania were already riding towards the bandits. None of the bandits had horses, so they didn't have a chance against the female paladin and male knight.

"Why did Rolf tell us to run?" Boyd asked. "We're winning."

Boyd spoke too soon as a large explosion echoed through the canyon and large boulders began to tumble down the walls towards the mercenaries.

"Everyone, move!" Ike ordered.

Everyone was able to get out of the rockslide with the exception of Elincia, who was slowed down because of her long dress.

"Your highness, watch out!" Ike yelled as rocks tumbled towards the queen. Ike tackled the queen and tried to protect her as debris buried them.

Rolf looked up to see Shinon holding him with one hand and holding the edge of the canyon with the other.

"Whatever you do, don't look down." Shinon ordered as the two dangled.

"I hope your hand doesn't get tired." Rolf gulped. He disobeyed his sensei and looked down.

"Don't tempt me." Shinon warned.

Rolf looked to see a ledge just a couple of feet away from him. "Hey Shinon! If you can swing me over to that ledge, I bet I can climb up and help you."

"Good idea, kid. Looks like there's some hope for you yet. Ready? Here you go."

Using all of his strength, Shinon swung Rolf towards the ledge and released the boy as he glided to safety. The young archer climbed up the side of the canyon to help Shinon.

"What happened to Titania and Oscar?" Rolf asked.

"We're fine." Titania assured. "But Ike just got trapped in the rubble with Queen Elincia. We need to help them."

**********

Elincia opened her eyes to see Ike lying on top of her, holding up the rubble with his back. A powerful blue aura had surrounded the mercenary, giving him strength greater than any other man.

"Lord Ike, but how?"

"Don't know, your highness. All I can say is that I'm not about to let anything happen to you." Ike grunted. He tried to smile at her, but the weight on his back was causing him too much pain, making him grimace.

"Ike, your highness, can either of you hear me?" Ike heard Rhys yell.

"Yes, we're both fine!" Queen Elincia responded. "Please hurry though! I don't know how much longer Ike can withstand."

"You heard her!" Titania shouted, moving the rubble.

All the mercenaries began moving the rubble, but Soren stopped them. "Wait." The mage ordered.

"What's wrong?" Mia asked.

"The rubble has formed around them, we have to be careful." Soren explained. "If we remove the wrong boulder too soon, it could cause the entire structure to collapse on Ike and the queen."

"You don't have to worry about that." Ike yelled through the rubble. "I'm supporting the whole damn thing myself."

"But how?" Mist gasped.

"Don't know; just get it off before my strength wears out."

'_Is it possible? But how?'_ Link wondered. However, he was interrupted by Titania's shouts.

"All right, we can get them out if everyone helps. Let's go.'

Boyd, the physically strongest of the mercenaries besides Ike, lifted the larger rocks, while Oscar, Gatrie, Titania, and Shinon moved smaller rocks. Mist and Mia were also able to move some of the boulders. Even Rhys, who was physically the weakest, moved small rocks out of the way. Soren used his wind magic to lift rocks. Boyd moved another boulder, but it was slightly too large for him to lift. Much to his surprise, Link lifted the rock with ease and threw it to the side.

********

Ike continued to support the rubble the on his back. His arms had buckled underneath him, causing him to support himself with his knees and arms. His face and body were now less than an inch away from Elincia's.

"Nothing like being trapped between a rock and a hard place your highness." Ike tried to joke, despite the pain.

Elincia tried to hold back tears. She could face death. She had to be willing to face it so she could fight during the Mad King's War. Knowing that Ike was in such pain due to her hurt her very soul.

"Please, stop doing this." Elincia begged.

"Doing what?" Ike asked.

"Hurting yourself to protect me."

"What? You mean you're actually worried about me, your highness?" Ike laughed. He tried to remain jolly even though he knew he could possibly die any moment. "You have nothing to fear. This is nothing compared to training with my father." Ike suddenly grunted as he felt his arms beginning to lose their strength. '_Damn it_.' He swore silently. '_I can feel the load getting lighter on my back, but my strength is leaving me too quickly. I know I need to hold on for a few more moments_.'

"Don't worry, your highness. I promise that we'll get through this."

********

Link moved boulders out of the way when he felt Ike's energy drop significantly.

'Ike is losing strength too quickly.' The Hylian hero thought to himself. 'We need to act now.'

"Soren, I need you to come here!" Link shouted. "We need to blow these rocks off Ike with a single burst of wind."

"What? Do you know how dangerous that is?" Soren said condescendingly to the Hylian.

"Well, either we risk it or your friend can die under there. It's your choice."

"Fine." Soren grumbled.

"Ready." Link instructed, drawing his sword and focusing his magic into it.

"Yes." Soren responded, opening his magic book.

"Count of three. One, two, three!"

"Arcwind!" Soren yelled, shooting a blast of wind out of his free hand.

Link swung his sword in the air, releasing his own powerful blast of wind.

The other mercenaries took cover as the wind burst towards the rubble. When the two blasts of wind hit the rubble, the rest of the rocks blew off Ike and Elincia, who were blown into the air. Ike held on to Elinica and made sure he was on the bottom when the two hit the ground.

"Ike!" Mist yelled as she and the mercenaries ran towards the unconscious man. Elincina sat next to her protector and cradled his head in her lap. Mist took out her staff and healed her brother as fast as she could, but when she was done, the blue-haired mercenary didn't wake up.

"Here, let me try." Rhys told Mist, kneeling next to Ike and inspecting his wounds. "Strange, but he doesn't seem injured at all. You must have done a good job, Mist."

"But I barely did anything. He actually wasn't that injured."

"You're right." Rhys agreed. He checked Ike's pulse and breathing. The blue-haired mercenary was still alive and breathing. It was very light, but he was still breathing. The healer looked at Ike's head, but could only find a few bumps here and there, but nothing severe.

"Why won't he wake up?" Mist questioned. She started to panic. "Ike, wake up." She shook her brother. "Ike!"

"He's in a coma." Link spoke up. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. His body just used all of its energy, that's all.

"But how." Mist asked worriedly.

"I don't know." The Hylian admitted, taking out a small bottle of green liquid and walking over to Ike. "Hey, Ike! If you can hear me, drink this." Link poured the liquid down Ike's throat. They couldn't tell if Ike heard Link, but the liquid went down. Ike released a cough and woke up. He sat up, holding his head and moaning. "Oh, my head."

"Ike!" Mist cried, embracing her brother.

"Geez, you'd think I had almost died or something." Ike was squished by his little sister.

Mist released her grip on her older brother so he could stand up.

"How in the world did you survive?" Boyd asked amazed. "It would have taken at least four men to do what you had just done."

"Personally, I have no idea." Ike admitted.

"You should thank Link." Mist informed. "He saved both of your lives."

"Link?" Ike turned to the Hylian. "Thank you for saving my life and her highness's."

"No thanks necessary. Everyone pitched in." The Hylian responded in a serious tone. "I do need to speak with you about what has happened today after we get her highness back home."

"Um sure, I guess." Ike retorted, a little stumped.

No one knew how Ike had suddenly gained such strength. The only one who seemed to have a clue was Link, but even he was puzzled. However, he intended to find out the truth.


	5. Chapter 5 New Friends

I do not own Fire Emblem or Zelda. Nintendo owns everything in this fan fiction.

Ch. 5 New Friends

As Ike, Queen Elincia, and the rest of the group approached, Soren stopped everyone before they approached the city.

"Stop." Soren ordered. "The queen is supposed to be sick and has not left her room. We need to get her into her room without anyone noticing."

"How do we do we do that?" Mia asked.

Soren pulled out a bag of powder from his pocket.

"Warm Powder." Gatrie exclaimed. "Where did you get that?"

"Well, unlike some people, I actually spend my money wisely instead of wasting it on women who only use me."

"Told ya she was using you." Shinon snorted to Gatrie.

"I will bring Her Highness to her chambers." Soren explained. "Wait here for a couple of minutes and enter the city as if you were called here by Bastion."

"Wow Soren, did you think of this all by yourself?" Mia asked.

"No. Bastian left instructions. Even if he hadn't though, his instructions are pretty much common sense and I would have suggested them anyway." Soren admitted. Without asking, Soren put one of his arms around Elincia's waist, threw some of the powder, and vanishing.

"This is an outrage!" A nobleman yelled at Geoffrey, who was blocking the door that led to Elincia's bedroom.

Geoffrey found that every day Elincia was gone meant it was more difficult to prevent people from finding out the truth. A different nobleman came to him every day, requesting the Queen's presence, and Geoffrey had to refuse, telling them that she was too ill to see anyone. However, Bastion's threats of dealing with him if someone tried to see the queen had only worked for so long. The noblemen were surrounding the queen's door, and if it hadn't been for the fact that General Geoffrey never left his post to block them, one of them would have barged in by now. Geoffrey even slept at his post at night to prevent anyone from trying to speak with the queen when he wasn't around.

"Now listen. We know the queen is ill, but she can't lock herself in her room for days and ignore the duties of her country." Another of the nobleman growled. "Surely she must be well by now."

"We demand to see her." Another noble roared.

Geoffrey lifted his spear and pointed it the nobles, causing all of them to back away slightly.

"No one is entering this door until Bastion says so." Geoffrey roared. "If you have a problem with that, you can face me in battle or go talk to him."

Bastion's name and the fact that Geoffrey seemed all but ready to attack anyone of them caused the nobleman to silence themselves for a few minutes.

"You know, General Geoffrey, if I didn't know any better, I would say you were trying to hide something."

Geoffrey's attention immediately turned to the nobleman, Duke Ludveck. A young, brown haired man dressed in white armor with gold embellishments. Geoffrey glared daggers at the man. Out of all the nobleman, he had been the most forceful, and didn't seem intimidated by Bastion or himself.

"You are out of line, Duke Ludveck." Geoffrey informed.

"As are you for not letting us speak to Her Highness." The young Duke exclaimed. "Now let us through."

Soren and Queen Elincia appeared in her bedroom silently.

"Thank you for your help, Soren. I am greatly in your debt."

"I merely follow Ike's orders." Soren replied. "But I will tell him."

Soren vanished without a trace, leaving Elincia alone in her room to listen to the commotion outside. She didn't know what was going on, but she heard Geoffrey's voice yelling something about her coming out when she feels better. Elincia doubted that even Geoffrey and Bastion could hold off the noblemen any longer. She opened her bedroom door.

"Your Hhighness." Geoffrey quickly went down to one knee and bowed. "I am greatly pleased that you are feeling better. I hope we did not awaken you."

The rest of the nobleman quickly mimicked Geoffrey by bowing down to her.

"No, you did not wake me, but I thank you for your concern." Elincia spoke. "I am terribly sorry I was sick for so long and wasn't able to properly lead the country."

"Nonsense." Bastion interrupted, walking down the hall towards Elincia. "Those were after all _my_ orders."

Bastion knew that during Queen Elincia's absence the rebels would only grow stronger, which they did. Not only that, but because she was not able to be present for any meetings concerning her country, she had lost some popularity with the nobleman. Bastion had done the best he could to represent the Queen during these meetings and run the country, but the fact that she refused to show herself still didn't help. Hopefully, if everyone thought she was absent because of him, it would take away from some of the hostilities towards the queen and aim them towards himself, something he did not worry about. He was, after all, the one most people feared, not the queen.

"Yes, but still." Elincia continued, knowing full well what Bastion was trying to do for her, "I cannot ignore the needs of my people. I will be heading to the throne room now. If anyone wishes speak to me about any issues that have come up in the past few days, feel free to send them to me."

As Elincia headed towards her throne room, every nobleman began to chase after her.

"How did you manage that?" Geoffrey whispered into Bastion's ear.

"Thank Ike." Bastion whispered back.

Link, Ike, and the other mercenaries stood, waiting for Soren to signal them before they entered the gate.

"Why are you waiting with us, Link?" Boyd asked. "I mean, if you're some sort of ambassador, you can just go in whenever you want."

Link couldn't tell if Boyd was trying to give Link a hint or just curious, but he answered the young warrior's question politely regardless.

"Soren asked us to wait, and I'll respect his wishes and wait as well." Link explained, even though he didn't quite like the mage, and it was obvious the mage didn't like him.

Soren appeared in front of the mercenaries in a flash of light.

"All right, let's go." Soren announced.

As the group entered the town, Link put on his brown cloak so no one would know he wasn't from this continent.

"We should head towards the castle immediately." Soren instructed.

"How come?" Rath asked.

"So we can get our full pay from Bastion." Soren responded.

"Finally, we get to make the big bucks." Shinon injected.

"Halt! Who dares enter this palace?" One of the guards asked as Ike and his group arrived.

"My name is Lord Ike." Ike responded, using the title he had such distain for. "My warriors and I have come to speak to Her Highness about the rebellion and offer our services to her. We wish to speak to Lord Bastion"

"Oh, Lord Ike." The guard repeated Ike's name, baffled. "It has been a long time since the great hero of Crimea has come to our capital. Please come right this way." The guard began to lead Ike and his group through the castle. "Lord Bastion is in his study. He gets rather cranky when people disturb him."

"Don't worry; he'll be perfectly fine with seeing us." Ike assured. "You can return to your post. Thank you for your services."

"Oh, and take this scum with you." Soren grabbed the bandit they had captured and threw him to the ground. "We believe he is working for the rebellion."

"Yes, my lord." The guard responded, taking the bound bandit and walking off.

"Good job." Soren complimented Ike. "I never knew you could think on your feet like that."

"Nothing I told those guards was a lie." Ike admitted.

"You don't mean?" Soren began.

"Yes." Ike answered. "The queen will need us if the rebels attack. And let's face it, we would provide better protection than her entire elite guard."

"Yes." Shinon hissed in excitement of working for such a high wealthy individual as Queen Elincia.

"And no, we will not charge her extra just because she is royalty." Ike informed Shinon.

Shinon just let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Hey, look on the bright side, Shinon." Gatrie spoke. "Maybe we'll get to meet some quiet noblewomen."

Once again Shinon rolled his eyes at his girl chasing best friend's comment.

"Say, where is Link?" Mist asked, looking around for the Hylian. "I just saw him a second ago."

"He said that he had to go see Her Highness as soon as possible." Titania explained.

"But he didn't even say goodbye." Mist said, feeling a little hurt.

"He said he'll be back." Titania assured. "And he'd like to welcome you to dinner with him later."

"How is he going to get past the guards?" Rath asked. "That's nearly impossible unless you have authority."

"I'm sure he's flashing around some sort of necklace that allows him access to the castle." Soren guessed, knowing a lot about Hylian culture.

Even though Link had necklace that he could simply show a guard and get an escort to the queen, he didn't bother using it. Instead, he snuck around the palace, finding his way through completely undetected. It really wasn't that hard for him. He'd been doing this since he was ten, and even though the guards of this castle were much more alert than the ones at Hyrule, they also didn't seem to rely on their senses except for sight or sound very well. This was different than the guards in Hyrule, who were not only trained in weaponry, but also with magic, which enhanced their other senses. All Link had to do in Castle of Crimea as stay out of sight and not make a sound, something he was all too good at.

As two guards began to round the corner, Link and attached himself to the ceiling by spreading his legs and arms out. As the two guards went around the corner, Link slipped and fell to the ground.

"Impa's right. I do need to work on that." Link admitted.

"Halt, who goes there?" A guard ordered.

Crap, Link had been caught. Wait a minute, why was he worried, he still had his necklace. Link quickly pulled out the necklace and showed it to the guards. The necklace was shaped like the Triforce, three triangles stacked up to form one larger one.

"It's O.K." Link assured the guard before they could try to arrest him. "See, I'm an ambassador for Hyrule."

"Is that so?" A knight who looked a lot like Ike, but with a brighter blue tinted hair approached Link. His armor was much more glamorous than the average guards', indicating that he must be a general. "Well, you must be a Hylian then. Very well, I will escort you to Her Highness, but if you try anything funny, I won't hesitate to strike you down."

'_Yeah, as if he could.'_ Link thought to himself. Even with all of these guards were alert to his presence, he could still make it to Queen Elincia on his own without hurting the other guards. However, fighting his way through probably wouldn't look very good when he was here to talk about peace. Come to think of it, neither was trying to sneak through the palace on his own.

Several guards escorted Link to Queen Elincia. The queen sat in her throne room, resting after listening to all of the noblemen's' problems. It seemed like the problems had become even worse after the rebellion. Some of them even tried to argue with her.

"Your Highness." The blue haired soldier and his men all bowed as they entered Link bowed as well.

"General Geoffrey, is there something you wish to speak to me about?" Elincia asked.

"Yes, Your Highness." Geoffrey responded. "This boy here claims to be an ambassador to the royal family of Hyrule, yet he was caught sneaking around the castle."

"There is nothing to worry about, General." Elincia assured. "Please, everyone leave us alone. I wish to speak to the ambassador alone."

The guards, including Geoffrey, began to leave, unsure if this was the wisest decision the queen could have made.

"Oh, but not you, General." Elincia responded. "I wouldn't want to be left completely unprotected."

"As you wish, Your Highness." Geoffrey bowed once again and then shut the door as the rest of the guards left.

"Geoffrey, I would like you to meet Link." Elincia introduced the two. "He is the one who saved me from those bandits."

"I thought Ike and his mercenaries saved you." Geoffrey spoke.

"They protected me and escorted me back, but Link is the one who actually found and rescued me in time."

"Well then, Link." Geoffrey spoke. "I suppose I should thank you on the behalf of my country. Tell me, how did you know where to find her highness and that she got kidnapped in the first place? It was supposed to be kept secret."

"I over heard you and a female warrior talking about it in the district as I was traveling." Link admitted. "I was coming to speak to her highness then, but when I found out she was kidnapped, I couldn't just wait around and do nothing to help."

"I see." Geoffrey answered.

"Link, you said you are an ambassador, correct?" Queen Elincia asked.

"Yes." The Hylian responded. "And it is time I speak to you about important matter now as well."

"Yes, I suppose we should. Before we begin, Geoffrey, could you please fetch Bastion and Lucia? I would like them to be present at this time." Elincia requested.

"Yes, your highness." Geoffrey bowed as he quickly walked out of the throne room.

As Ike approached the room that led to Bastion, he stopped his group.

"I would like to speak to Bastion alone." Ike informed. "I would like everyone to meet me in the garden when I'm done."

"Why?" Shinon asked.

"Because I would like to speak to him about our employment alone, if that is O.K."

"Great, we're going to get ripped off." Shinon grumbled.

"Come on, Shinon." Titania ordered, leading the group away.

Ike knocked on our door for Bastion.

"Who is it?" Bastion asked in an annoyed voice.

"Ike." The mercenary responded.

Ike heard a door unlock and Bastion walked out to greet the mercenary.

"Well, come in, my lord."

Once Ike entered the room, Bastion shut and locked the door, ensuring that their conversation would remain private. Ike looked around Bastion's study. It hadn't changed. The powerful mage had shelves upon shelves of books everywhere and a pile of books on his desk. Ike knew that some of these books contained magic and spells, while other books contained poetry and other literature.

"Well, I suppose you are here about your employment?" Bastion guessed.

"Why yes." The blue-haired mercenary responded.

"Here you go my friend. As I said, you would be greatly rewarded." Bastion removed a large bag of coins from his desk and handed it to Ike.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept this much." Ike proclaimed.

"Why not?" Bastion asked. "You more than earned it.

"First of all, I don't overcharge people for my group's services, regardless of the mission. Second, I didn't earn it." Ike admitted. "It was not my mercenaries that saved her highness, but Link."

"Link?" Bastion gasped. "No it can't be."

Ike was confused at Bastion's sudden surprise, but chose not to show it. Bastion tended to overreact to situations often and was known for his oddness.

"I suppose trying to persuade you to take the money would be useless." Bastion continued speaking.

"That is correct, but there's another way you can help." Ike informed.

"Oh, and what is that?"

"I would like to continue protecting Her Highness while this rebellion is taking place. Of course, I will expect compensation for my group's time here."

"Of course, yes. If it was up to me, I would hire you on the spot, but such an offer should be brought up to Her Highness. I will speak with her about this subject immediately. Now, here's the payment you deserve."

Bastion handed Ike a much lighter bag of coins. The mercenaries' sense of honesty and honor never ceases to amaze him.

"Thank you."

"Now, if you'd excuse me, Lord Ike, I have some poetry to write."

"Of course. Good luck to you." Ike answered as he left Bastion to his own devices.

"Let's see." Bastion began to speak to himself. "Lucia, who's as eyes are like the sky on a clear sunny day…No that just sounds stupid. It doesn't even rhyme."

Once again, Bastion heard a knock on the door. Bastion rolled his eyes. Couldn't he just have five minutes to himself?"

"What is it?" Bastion growled.

"Bastion, its General Geoffrey. The ambassador from Hyrule has arrived. "He says his name is Link."

"Link!" Bastion gasped. He jumped from his chair and ran to greet Geoffrey. "Tell me, is he the same person that happened to save Her Highness?"

"Yes." The blue haired general explained.

"I can't believe it's him!" Bastion cried, running down the halls. "I though I would never see the day."

Bastion, followed by Geoffrey, ran into the throne room, where Queen Elincia and Lucia were already seated and waiting for him. Bastion looked at Link in awe.

"So the legends are true, you really do exist." Bastion spoke.

"Yes." Link answered, slightly annoyed. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was going.

"Bastion, what are you talking about?" Queen Elincia asked. "It really isn't polite to stare at our young guest."

"I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness." Bastion apologized. "But were you ever read the story about the Hero of Time as a little girl?"

"Yes. Lucia often read the stories of him to Geoffrey and me when we were children." Elincia spoke. "He was a great hero of Hyrule who saved the world from evil many times, and is supposedly reincarnated whenever he is needed."

"Tell me did your story ever have a picture of him?" Bastion hinted further, much to Link's displeasure, as he was making it quite obvious now.

"Why yes. It was a kid's book she read to us. In fact he looked at lot like…" Elincia and everyone else now stared at Link. They had figured it out.

"Yes. I'm the great Hero of Time." He sighed, speaking as if he was almost annoyed with his title, because truth be told, he hated it. Now everyone was going to gush all over him and not give him a moment's rest.

"I'm the one who destroyed several evils in my previous life, but please don't ask me about them because a person doesn't retain their memory after reincarnation. I saved Hyrule and probably the entire world at age twelve and then continued traveling to distant lands, fending of darkness." Link continued in his same bored voice.

"You sound all but too enthused by your title." Lucia spoke up."

"I'm terribly sorry if I sound disrespectful." Link apologized. "It's just that when people hear I'm this person they constantly chase me every where I go, trying to shake my hand, wed me off to their daughter, or reward me with riches beyond my dreams. I prefer a simple life. I like helping people, but I don't like people gushing over me as if I'm this great person."

"Sounds like someone else we know." Lucia commented. "Anyway, you are here for political reason, right?"

"Oh, yes." Link responded. "My ruler, Princess Zelda, has sensed a great disturbance in this land, not just yours, but this entire continent. She said the smell of war is being drifted across the wind and the only result of it would be bloodshed if it were to occur."

"Do you mean the rebellion?" Elincia asked. "That is a matter I intend on keeping this country's and this country's affair alone. I do not intend on a massive war due to it."

"I'm not talking about the rebellion." Link commented. "I do not know much. Princess Zelda only told me what she saw in her vision. I will openly admit it was a little beyond my understanding. All I know is that something very bad will happen if war occurs and both of us want to stop it."

"Why has Hyrule suddenly taken an interest in our country's problems?" Bastion asked. "If I'm correct, both King Dheginsea of the dragons and the rulers of Hyrule decided to isolate themselves from our countries."

"That is true, but Her Highness, Princess Zelda, thinks much differently than the old rulers." Link admitted.

"I assure you I have no intention of fighting in another war." Elincia spoke. "I have seen what it does, and unless my country is threatened, I will not participate in an act that threatens the lives of my people."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Link responded. "I am greatly pleased to hear that from a ruler."

"Link, is there anything else you wish to speak to us about?" The queen asked.

"Just a few other matters that involve our country's relationships, such as welcoming you to the upcoming Piccori Festival in Hyrule, and if you desire, you may choose a champion to represent your country during the fighting tournament. There are also a few other political matters I wish to speak to you about."

"Go on." Elincia request.

The small group continued to talk for the next hour about various issues and ways of politics. The subjects obviously bored Link, which was funny, considering the fact that he was the ambassador. The Hylian seemed to take his role seriously and didn't let his boredom take over his sense of duty.

Ike walked towards his group of mercenaries. They were gossiping about something, but stopped when Ike approached. Soren had been the only one not taking part in the conversation, but then again, that was typical of him.

"I got our payment right here." Ike responded, tossing the sack of coins into the middle of the group. Shinon seemed to eye the sack with displeasure.

"We'll divide it evenly into twelve ways like usual." Ike announced.

"This isn't that much." Shinon announced.

"And what do you mean, twelve ways. There are only eleven of us." Soren informed Ike, worried that he already knew his friend's answerer.

"First of all, this is more than we usually get." Ike reminded. "Second, Link was with us the whole time and proved to be a valuable asset in returning Her Highness safely."

"Yeah, but he's not even one of us." Shinon barked. "He's an ambassador. He wasn't hired to join our group."

"Shinon, this is closed to discussion." Ike informed. "I will not have Link cheated out of money when he earned it as much as we did."

"But."

"Ike said it was closed, Shinon." Titania interrupted, giving the archer a heated glare.

"Fine." Shinon grumbled, taking his share of the money and storming off.

"Don't worry, he'll get over it." Gatrie assured everyone. "He always does."

The larger warrior then turned and began to follow his best friend.

"Hey, wait for me!" Rolf yelled, running after the two older mercenaries.

"Well, I'm going to find Link and give him his share." Ike informed, talking some of the money.

Link finally walked out of the meeting. Even though it had only lasted an hour, it felt like it had lasted forever. The only reason he took this job was because of his loyalty to Princess Zelda and she told him that he was the only person she could rely on. At least he was able to get a good impression about the kind of leader Elincia was. That was one reason he came in the first place. He wanted to make sure she wasn't a threat to Hyrule's safety, and she wasn't. Link was very impressed by Elincia as a leader. She was one of the best rulers he had ever met. She was fair and kind to her people, but also strong and stern. She outlawed torture and capital punishment. Link only wished that he could help Queen Elincia with the rebellion. With his skills, he could probably solve that problem in no time. But alas, as an ambassador he wasn't supposed to intervene in such affairs. Just saving the queen from those kidnappers was probably against what Zelda would have wished. When he reported to her, she would probably lecture him.

"Link." Ike called, running towards the Hylian. "I want to speak to you if you would wait up."

"What is it?" Link asked. Link remembered his past all too well with Ike, and even though both he and the mercenary had matured, there were still things about the mercenary Link didn't like. However, Link did have a good friendship with Mist and he was starting to have one with the girl named Mia. So, he would show Ike respect for their sakes.

"I would like to speak to you about our pasts." The mercenary began, trying to think of the best words to choose for this conversation. He had already rehearsed it, but this was a lot harder than practicing in front of the river when no one was around.

"Go on." Link spoke, leaning against a pillar and crossing his arms.

"Well, I know we didn't exactly get along when we were younger and I will admit that was my fault. So, I would like to apologize for my actions. I shouldn't have bullied you like that out of jealousy."

"I suppose you would like to start over." Link guessed.

"Yes, if you would allow. You have already done a lot for us. You saved Mist on more than one occasion, you saved the queen, and even saved me on route to our home."

"If you feel in debt to me, don't." Link ordered. "They're not the only ones I've saved on my journeys, and I don't expect people to owe me because of that."

"I don't feel in debt to you. Well, I do, but that's not why I would like to start over."

"We were both young and reckless then." Link admitted. "I too wouldn't mind starting over if that is what you wish."

"Link, you don't know how much that pleases me. I would also like to apologize for Soren's rudeness towards you. I have already talked to him about that and he by no means was acting on my orders when he spoke to you."

"You apologies are more than accepted." Link assured, even though he found it kind of pathetic that Ike had to apologize for his tactician. No doubt Soren refused to apologize for his own actions.

"Well, now that that is over, I would like you to give this." Ike tossed Link a small bag of coins. "It's not much, but it is your share of the money for helping us save Queen Elincia."

"I already told you, I don't consider you or her highness in debt for my help. I help people because I like to, not because I think I'll get money for it."

"Still, you need the money for food and supplies on your journey, even you have to admit that."

Actually, Link didn't need money for food or supplies, except for arrows. He was used to surviving in the wild for long periods of time, and if he ever got hungry, he hunted, fished, or scavenged. However, Link was accustomed to people not excepting no for an answer when trying to reward him.

"Very well, I guess I have no choice." Link finally agreed.

"If it makes you feel any better, consider it a gift." Ike assured. "If you'd excuse me, I would like to speak to Bastion. I have offered my services as Her Highness's bodyguard and I would like to know her answer."

"Looking to make some money?" Link guessed.

"That is not the reason why I protect the queen." Ike informed as he walked away.

Link continued to roam the castle. Because he was an ambassador, and Queen Elincia considered him a hero, he didn't have much to worry about as long as he stayed out of restricted areas, such as Bastion's studies and Her Highness's room. Link noticed Rhys leaning over a balcony, looking down at the castle gardens.

Link didn't know Rhys very well, but what he had seen of him, Link liked. The man seemed to treat everyone with respect and dignity, and Link hadn't heard him raise his voice once towards a single member of Ike's mercenaries. Link had also seen Rhys praying at night to whatever strange god or goddess he worshipped to protect everyone on their travels and to forgive those who had sinned.

"Brother Rhys, may I please ask you a few questions?" Link asked.

"Actually, its Father now. I was promoted to a priest when Elinicia was crowned."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I offended you, Father." Link apologized sincerely to the priest.

"Nonsense. Most people don't even call me by my title, so Rhys is just fine. The only one who even calls me Brother is Mist, probably because I was her mentor in healing. So, what do you wish to speak to me about?"

"I was wondering why a religious man such as yourself is traveling with a group of mercenaries."

"Ah, I see. You're still a little unsure about what to think of Ike and the rest. Tell me, Link, did Ike's father ever tell you about how he started this group?"

"No." Link admitted.

"Well, Greil was originally the greatest warrior in all of Telius. He was a general for the Mad King, Ashnard, but left because he would not follow the Mad King's orders. Greil began the life of a mercenary, scaring away bandits from small villages. Greil never charged the villages much money, but he did need money to support his wife and children. As Greil continued his job as a mercenary, he found people in need of an honest job. Oscar, and his younger brothers, Boyd and Rolf, joined the mercenary because their father died and their mother abandoned them. Greil then trained Rolf and Boyd how to fight. I myself joined because of my health. I used to be a very weak man. I'm still not very strong, but when I met Greil, I was in a much worse condition than I am now. I couldn't find a job and would often be sick for days. However, because I was trained by monks how to heal, Greil took me in and allowed me to join the mercenaries as a healer. So in way, it was due to Greil, and now Ike, that most of us are still around today. After Greil died, Ike took the responsibility of being commander. Like his father, he protects villages from bandits and will work for Her Highness for small fees. He never overcharges people, not even the wealthy.

"Why charge at all?" Link asked.

"Well, because we need the money to live. Being a mercenary is our job." Rhys explained. "Few of us could live off the land completely, and besides, if we were guards in Her Highness's army, assigned to protect that village, would we not get paid for our services. I'm sure even you are getting paid for your services."

That was true, despite the fact that Link didn't ask to be paid. Princess Zelda insisted.

"So Rhys, why do you stay with the mercenaries though? I mean, if you aren't a warrior."

"Because I believe that protecting villages from bandits will help more lives than running a church all day. Besides, I can always pray at night."

"I see. Thank you for your answers, Rhys."

"Why, you're welcome Link. I'm always glad to help another."

"Hey Rhys! Hi Link!" Mia yelled, running up to the two men.

"Hello Mia, how are you?" Rhys asked.

"Fine, but as bored as can be. I can't find a worthy opponent in this castle. I can't find Ike and Lucia is busy with business for the queen."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mia." Rhys answered. "I hope you don't wish to fight me."

"Oh, of course not. I remembered what happened last time. Say Link." Mia turned to the Hylian warrior, noticing the sword and shield that he always had over his back. "You're pretty good with a blade, aren't you?"

"I'm O.K." Link modestly responded.

"Well, I'm sure you're better than most the guards here. Come on! Let's see what you got." Mia challenged.

Before Link could respond, the young swordswoman jumped off the balcony and landed on her feet and hands.

"Come on, chicken?" Mia teased Link.

"She really doesn't give you a choice, does she?" Link stated.

"Nope, that's Mia." Rhys chuckled. "I'll be right down. I'm sure one of you will need healing after this."

Link jumped off the balcony and landed perfectly onto his feet. Such a jump was nothing to him.

"Ready, go!" Mia challenged, running towards the Hylian. Link drew his blade and blocked the girl's attack with ease. She was an aggressive and quick opponent, even in a friendly sparing contest. Her three years of fighting as a mercenary had obvious sharpened her skills, but she was nothing compared to Link.

The Hylian blocked her attacks with ease and delivered a swift kick to her stomach, knocking her down as he pointed his blade at her throat.

"Yield?" Link asked.

"Don't be ridiculous." Mia growled, jumping up. "I don't yield. We fight until one of us collapses. That's how I spar."

"I would really hate to hurt you like that." Link said.

"What? Are you being nice to me just because I'm a woman?" Mia asked angrily.

"No, it's just that…" Link began, slightly scared of this energetic young swordswoman.

"I'll show you just how good a woman can be." Mia shouted.

"I wasn't saying that…" Link ducked to avoid a blow from the female swordsmaster and continued to fend the fiery warrior off. No matter how many times Link tried to get Mia to yield, she wouldn't. He tried ending the battle quickly several times by kicking her in the stomach and knocking the wind out of her, but she just got right back up and continued. Link would have hated to fight Mia in a real battle. Link couldn't help but feel guilty when he kicked her. It felt very wrong covering an opponent in bruises when they weren't even really fighting. He even detested such fighting against enemies.

Finally, when Link once again kicked Mia to the ground and disarmed her, she didn't get back up. She was so tired and sore that she couldn't move.

"Wow! Tthat was a good workout." Mia panted. "I think I just found a new rival. Rhys, you can heal me now."

Rhys, who had walked down the stairs of the balcony, knelt down next to Mia. The crystal on top of his staff began to grow and Mia's wounds healed instantly.

"Thanks Rhys. I can always count on you." Mia smiled, jumping back to her feet.

"We're not going to do that again, are we?" Link asked, worriedly.

"Oh, you better believe it. You're my new rival, and I'll never surrender to you!" Mia spoke. "You're really good, Link. Not as good as Ike, but still really good."

"I doubt Ike could beat me." Link answered. "When I was only a boy and he was almost full grown, I was able to fight him to a draw. Now, he no longer has two feet on me in height."

"Yeah, he only has a foot." Mia teased the short warrior. "But you don't know how much better Ike is now. During the war, he defeated both the Black Knight and King Ashnard. Both of them had armor that was nearly impenetrable and strength and skill beyond that of a beorc."

"Really?" Link asked.

"Yep, no lies." Mia said.

"He must have improved as well than." Link commented.

"Well, I'll see ya later. I'm going to find another challenger. Come on Rhys." Mia grabbed her friend by the arm and pulled the young priest along with her. "And you'd better watch yourself, hero. You never know when Mia, The Lady of the Blades, will strike again. So you'd better be ready!"

"I wonder if I let her win next time, she won't bother me." Link wondered to himself.

"And if you ever let me win, I'll know!" Mia yelled from the distance.

"Never mind." Link sighed to himself.

Link continued to wander around the castle. There wasn't much for him to do and he always enjoyed exploring. Link heard there was an area that he could practice his archery. Even though he doubted their practice area would even be a warm up for him, he didn't have much else to do. Once again, he saw another member of the Greil Mercenaries. It was Shinon and the young Rolf.

Shinon was not a member that Link liked. He was greedy and self-centered. Besides Soren, he was probably Link's least favorite of the mercenaries. Rolf, on the other hand, Link didn't know enough about. He was a year younger than Mist, Link's age, and seemed like a very nice young man. On the other hand, he also looked up to Shinon, which could cause his kind nature to change in the future.

"I can't hit that, it's too far." Rolf commented, looking at a target that was only a speck in his view.

"Oh come on, it's not that far." Shinon lectured. "I told you to focus. Don't worry about distance. Let your mind guide you and your arrow into its target. Imagine the arrow as an extension of yourself."

"Well, O.K." Rolf answered, releasing the arrow and hitting the target. "I did it." Rolf jumped up excitedly.

"See, you just have to listen to me." Shinon commented.

Ignoring Shinon and Rolf, Link drew his own arrows and began to practice by himself. The area was more than large enough for three people to practice. Link drew arrow after arrow at a lightning pace, hitting a bull's eye each time.

"Wow Shinon, look at that." Rolf pointed impressed. "He's as good as you."

"Hey, don't watch him. Watch your targets or watch me." Shinon lectured annoyed. "Hey you, we're practicing. Come back later."

"Last time I checked, this place is large enough for more than one person." Link answered, having little interest in Shinon.

"Yeah, but you're distracting." Shinon responded. Shinon turned to Rolf. "And no Rolf, he is not as good as I am. No one ever is."

"Bragging yourself up to your apprentice?" Link asked.

"He's not my apprentice." Shinon hissed.

"Sorry, I mean student." Link corrected himself.

"He's not my student, either. I've had nothing to do with his education in being an archer." The sniper lied.

"Yeah right." Link snorted. "Sure didn't look that way. So Shinon, you say there is no one better with a bow?"

"Yes, and that is the truth." Shinon responded.

"Have you ever entered a marksman contest against a Gerudo?"

"No, and what's a Gerudo?" Shinon asked. "Come to think of it, never mind. I don't care."

"So, you claim to be the best, but you have never competed against any other skilled users of the bow."

"Look, if it's a contest you want, bring it." Shinon growled.

"Very well." Link accepted, calmly. "What is the challenge?"

"See those flag posts up on the towers." Shinon pointed to a couple of flags that looked smaller than toothpicks form the distance.

"Hardly." Link responded.

"The first one to shoot those wins." Shinon announced. "That is if you feel you are up to the challenge."

"Sure, why not." Link answered. The Gerudos had challenged him one more than one occasion to perform a task similar to this.

Both of the master archers took out their bows and began to take careful aim. Neither was willing to lose to the other.

"Come one, shoot already!" Rolf blurted.

"Hey, what did I just tell you about focusing?" Shinon snapped towards Rolf and then focused his attention of the shot once again.

Finally, both of the archers took their shot, each hitting their target nearly at the same time.

An unsuspecting guard walked up to the tower that Link and Shinon were aiming at, beginning his shift. The guard jumped as an arrow hit a flagpole and then zoomed by him. He jumped even higher when another arrow nearly missed him as it hit the other flagpole.

"We're under attack. We're under attack!" The guard yelled as he ran down the stairs.

"Wow, we tied." Shinon said, impressed by this Hylian's skills.

"I see you do have bragging rights." Link admitted.

"We're under attack, we're under attack!" Both Link and Shinon heard the guard yell as he around screaming.

"Oh no." Link gulped, knowing what had just happened. "Well I'll see you later. I guess I have some explaining to do."

"Indeed." Shinon agreed in his regular rude voice. "Although Link, I have to admit, you earned my respect. Here I thought you were just a weak wizard."

"Well, thank you." Link thanked the cocky sniper. It was rare that he gave compliments. "Oh, and Shinon, your secret is safe with me." Link winked, indicating towards Rolf and Shinon. Even though it was obvious to him that Rolf was indeed Shinon's student, it was also obvious that Shinon didn't want his reputation as being a self-centered jerk ruined.

Link was able to calm the guards without much difficulty and apologized to Geoffrey who had already been alerted about the "attack." Now he was lying on the grass, relaxing. He supposed he would have to get some dinner for the night. He wondered if the hunting was any good in these parts. Probably not, due to all the people, but the fishing was probably decent.

"Link!" Mist called, running towards the Hylian and grabbing his arm. "I've been looking for you."

"What's wrong?" Link asked.

"Nothing, we're going to go have some dinner at Calill's bar. Do you want to come?"

"If I'm welcome." Link answered.

"Of course you are. Even Shinon said he wouldn't mind seeing you."

"And Soren?" Link asked.

"Oh, just ignore him. He hates everyone but my brother." Mist giggled, grabbing Link arm and pulling him along. "Come on, it'll be fun."

**Authors note and explanation**

**(Important for understanding this story, so please read.)**

**Hi readers, thanks so much for reading this story. Sorry that this chapter jumped around a little bit. Please let me know what you think of the characters and how they interact with Link. I'm trying to keep them in character as much as possible. Now for the explanations. **

**Just to let you know, I don't use the Link you'd expect from the video game. He is the Nintendo-owned character, but I make changes to his back-story and personality. In fact, none of the Links from the games exist in my stories. There are times when Link will refer to his past lives, but those aren't the past lives from the video games. **

**The Link I have designed is sort of an accumulation of several Links from many different games. I use most of the spells from Ocarina of time, Link to the Past, and Zelda II, Link Adventure. He also has several items from all of the different games and some that I've made up. **

**My version of Link was born into a family of powerful knights. He was born with the Triforce of courage marked on his left hand. Link's father was a commander who worked for the king, and his mother was an archer. When Link was only around five, Ganondorf and his minions appeared. They were able to manipulate the King to believe they were loyal servants, promising to save Hyrule from an oncoming threat. In the meantime, they were secretly searching for the Triforce fragments. The only person who didn't trust Ganondorf was the four-year-old Zelda. Even at her young age, she could see through a person's lies. Unfortunately, the only people who believed Zelda were Impa and Link's father. **

**One day, the King and Ganondorf left for a political meeting with the other races of Hyrule. Ganondorf used the outing to manipulate some of the troops and secretly cause a rebellion. Knowing the rebellion was a way for Ganondorf to collect the Triforce fragment, Link's parents took action. Link's father and Impa set out to protect the five*year*old Princess Zelda. Link's mother knew Link was no longer safe in Hyrule since she and her husband planned to fight Ganondorf. She brought Link to Kokiri Forest when he was five to live with his uncle, a hermit who secretly lived in the forest and a master swordsman. That was the last time Link ever saw his mother or father. **

**Link's uncle treated Link like the son he never had, and loved him dearly. However, Link was very depressed. He would run into the woods alone and cry because he missed his parents and though he loved this strange man he lived with, he wished they would come back for him. A girl named Saria found Link one day and comforted him, and the two became best friends. **

**Link's uncle trained him how to be a swordsman and how to use basic fire spells. Saria visited Link everyday or Link would visit Saria. Link also met Epona in the woods, a wild but magical horse that could run faster than any other horse. Epona wouldn't let anyone touch her except for Saria and Link. Link and Saria played their ocarinas for her, so Epona let Link ride her. **

**At the age of ten, Link's uncle could sense that darkness was spreading over the land. He knew the boy was one of the holders of one of the pieces of the Triforce. He also knew Ganondorf also knew this fact. **

**Link's uncle took Link to continue training with his grandfather, Smith, claiming Link had surpassed him at swordsmanship. Link did as he was told. When Ganondorf's minions came to take Link from his uncle, the boy was already long gone. Ganondorf was furious, for he knew the boy had been at the Kokiri Forest. He fought Link's uncle to the death when he refused the hand Link over. **

**Link arrived safely in Castle Town, where he met his grandparents. Link's grandmother was a witch who specialized in making yummy soups that filled a person with energy and could heal any illness or injury. His grandfather was the King's best friend, ex-general, and current blacksmith. **

**Link discovered that he had a little sister and his parents had both been killed. His parents wanted to visit him in the forest and had planned to introduce him to his little sister, but they had been murdered by a large group of monsters before they had the chance. (Ganondorf's minions). Luckily, Link's little sister, Aryll, survived.**

**One day, Link walked around town and met a simple towns girl (Zelda in disguise), who he played with. When the castle guards began to look for Link's new friend, he hid her at his grandparents. When he thought the coast was clear, he brought the girl out of hiding, only to be discovered by the King of Hyrule himself. **

**The King laughed when he heard the situation and took a liking to Link, for he remembered the boy when he was a baby, and he remembered the boy's parents. Zelda and Link became best friends, but Impa ordered that Link never be allowed in the castle. **

**Impa became the boy's main mentor because his grandfather was no longer strong enough and was too busy to take on an apprentice. Impa wanted Link to learn stealth, and the best way to do that was to make him sneak around the castle so he could visit his only friend. Impa also taught Link other basic Sheikah techniques such as how to use Deku Seeds.**

**One day, the King of Hyrule received the request to attend another political meeting, but never returned. Ganondorf soon took control of the castle. He ordered Zelda to be betrothed to him. Impa knew he would take Zelda's Triforce fragment, even if it meant death to the princess, and went to protect Zelda. Link and Impa fought through the castle and made it to a secret passage that only Zelda and Impa knew existed. The two went into hiding and asked Link to collect the Pendants of Wisdom, Power, and Courage so he could pull the Master Sword from it's stone prison. Zelda also gave the Ocarina of Time that day. (It is the exact same as the Ocarina from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask but is even more powerful.)**

**Link completed this task for Zelda, but it wasn't easy because Ganondorf marked him as an outlaw, and townspeople called the guards when they saw him. Luckily, not everyone believed Ganondorf. Link traveled throughout the lands, helping all the races of Hyrule and proving to them that he was an honorable warrior, not a kidnapper. These races included the Gorons, Zora, Gerudo, Minish, Rito, and Sheikah. Link also trained with these races, where he learned their secrets and was initiated as an honorary member of their people. **

**Along his journeys Link also met up with the Greil mercenaries while Greil was still alive and journeying to Hyrule for some business. At first Link and the mercenaries considered each other enemies, and Ike and Link fought, battling to a tie. Link then tried to attack Greil himself, but was easily out matched by the man. Greil soon realized that Link was not an enemy and convinced the young Hylian to join them. (Something Link was apprehensive of doing because he distrusts mercenaries and doesn't like charging people for his protection.) Greil was very impressed by how well Link could wield a blade at such a young age and tutored the young Hylian for a short time. Ike didn't like Link at all at that time and would often bully him. (Ike was seventeen and Link was almost twelve at the time.) Mist on the other hand who had just turned thirteen took a liking to the Hylian and felt sorry for him when she learned his past. Because Rolf, Boyd, and Mia were not yet part of the Greil mercenaries, Link was the only member close to her age so they became friends. **

**After Greil and his mercenaries helped Link protect Princess Zelda from Ganondorf, he had to leave, sensing a great evil coming towards the continent of Tellius, his homeland. **

**Shortly after that Link was able to vanquish Ganondorf's minions and even Ganondorf himself with the use of the Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage, which seemed to suddenly activate during his fight against the evil King.**

**With Ganondorf's defeat, the King returned. Ganondorf had held him prisoner, but Link had freed him during his quest. Due to his bravery, the King knighted Link at a very young age and the boy was known as a hero throughout the land. **

**Link's journeys didn't stop there. Link returned to the forest where he had grown up so that he could live with Saria and the other Kokiri. He would also frequently visited Orodon village because the people had given him shelter during Ganondorf's reign and some of them even taught Link fighting techniques.**

**Link grew older, unlike the other Kokiri children. One night as Link visited Orodon with his sister Aryll, Aryll and the other children were kidnapped by a large group of monsters that Link had never seen before. Link fought them, but couldn't save the children. Saria also vanished from the forest at this time too. Link found a person of the twilight and demanded to know where his friends were. However, Midna refused to tell Link until he helped her defeat the man that overthrew her. His name was Zant. (This story is like Twilight Princes, but Saria replaces Ilia and Aryll replaces Beth.)**

**Link tried to fight Zant one on one, but didn't have the Master Sword, and he wasn't able to properly use his Triforce. Plus, Zant had powerful magic given to him by a god. Midna saved Link from being killed by Zant at the last moment and brought Link to Impa, who Link was still training under. **

**Impa led Link to the Cave of Ordeals, a cave that would teach him how to use his Triforce properly. However, the only person to make it through the cave successfully was the original Link. **

**Link completed his tasks in the cave and learned how to use his Triforce. Link was also taught spells by Midna, who by this time began to like Link. One of these spells was how to transform into a wolf. Link also traveled to the Temple of Time and claimed the Master Sword once again. With his new training, and his Master Sword by his side, Link re-challenged Zant, but this time the evil Twili didn't stand a chance. Link saved the Twili from the evil dictator and of course rescued everyone who had been kidnapped. **

**Now Link is sixteen and Midna is back in the Twilight Realm.**

**The six sages of Hyrule are ****Rauru, Ruto, Saira, Nabooru, Medli, and Linket the second (A female Goron, who is related to Darania.)**

**As for Ike's back-story, it really hasn't changed much from the game, Path of Radiance. There are small differences thought. For one, Mist never learned how to use a sword properly like she does in the game, and some character classes have been altered slightly. For example, a mage becomes an archmage instead of sage. Beorc spell casters are much more rare in this story's universe and also slightly weaker. (With the exception of Branded spell casters and a few others.) Branded and wyverns are also much more rare. Daein had wyverns during the Mad King's rein for some reason that was unknown to the people. Finally, because there will be fire emblem crossovers in this story, the dragon Laguz are still known as Manaketes, and the black dragons have been changed to Mage Dragons. There will also be Fire, Ice, and Devine dragons mentioned.**


	6. Chapter 6 Deceptive Planning

I do not own Fire Emblem. Nintendo owns everything in this fan fiction.

Ch. 6 Deceptive Planning

That night, Link and the Greil mercenaries were led through the castle to their respective rooms by an escort.

"Ah! Now that was a good meal." Gatrie commented as he rubbed his belly. "Calill's must have the best food in the capital, and wine, for that matter."

"Yeah, maybe you should make sure that a woman isn't married and has a four-year-old daughter before you try to get a date with her though." Shinon lectured his best friend.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know Calill was married?" Gatrie asked.

"It's called a ring, moron."

"Yeah, but she's a sorceress. That could have been a spell ring."

"You wish." Shinon snorted as the two went into their room for the night. They had both drank a lot of wine and were ready for bed.

Even though the castle was large, it didn't have enough rooms to give everyone their own bedroom, so everyone was asked to share, with the exception of Link, who was an ambassador and was forced to accept his own room for political reasons.

Mist, Mia, and Titania were led to their room by the escort. Mia and Mist eyed the nice furniture and bedding. The rooms even had chairs and a small table. They were more like suites than bedrooms.

"Oh wow! I forgot how large these rooms were." Mist gasped.

Titania sat in a chair as she unbuckled her armor and set down her war-ax.

"Don't get too excited, or you won't be able to sleep." Titania warned. "We'll need our rest for tomorrow. Ike has volunteered us to be in the service of Queen Elincia as bodyguards until this rebellion is over."

"Oh, come on, Titania! It's too early to go to bed. I want to walk around the castle some more. It's been so long since we've been here and so many things have changed."

"If you want to explore, go ahead." Titania spoke. "I'm no longer a young girl like you and would prefer going to bed. Be back in an hour though and be quiet as you enter."

"Yes, mother." Mist teased as she ran out of the room.

Link sat in his room down a different hall than the mercenaries were staying. He didn't ask to be treated so well, nor did he wish it. But of course, this was part of being an ambassador and hero. Link felt something rattling in his magic pack that he kept all of his items in and quickly took it out. It was a small necklace with a blue crystal in the middle of it.

Link quickly held up the crystal to his face with his arm stretched out and bowed.

"Your highness, I was just about to report to you." Link reported.

"I was beginning to worry." A voice from the glowing blue crystal spoke. "Where are you now? I'm guessing you're in a castle, judging by your surroundings."

"Yes, I'm currently in the capital of Crimea."

"What? That was supposed to be your first country to visit. I expected you at least in Daein by now."

"My apologies, Princess Zelda. It seems there is more turmoil here than you predicted."

"Has the war already begun?" Zelda asked in a very concerned tone.

"No, but it appears that a rebellion has formed in Crimea and the rebels are trying to overthrow Queen Elincia."

"Well, that's typical." Zelda snorted. "Rebellions in Beorc countries aren't uncommon with young rulers."

"Yes, and before I could speak to her, I had to save her from a group of bandits."

"I suppose you couldn't resist being a hero, could you?" Zelda chuckled.

"No, Princess."

"Still, that shouldn't have taken you this long. What else have you been doing?" Zelda asked.

"I've made a few stops along the way, protecting small villages from bandit attacks." Link finally admitted, worried that he was going to get yelled at.

"Should have known." Zelda sighed. "You should know by now that Beorcs are not as peaceful as Hyruleans. While our only worry is the occasional monster or daemon, the Beorcs' largest threat is their own kind."

"Now you sound like your father. I thought it was you who said that most Beorcs are good people."

"They are, but I'm simply stating a fact and reminding you what your purpose is. If you fail from preventing this war, then a great catastrophe will occur."

"I'm sorry, your highness." Link apologized. "But about this rebellion."

"Let me guess, you would like to stay and help Queen Elincia." Zelda guessed.

"I would like to, yes. She has greatly honored me and in turn honored you. She seems like a great ruler and I would hate to see her overthrown"

"She is a great ruler." Zelda admitted. "She is perhaps one of the better rulers I've seen from Beorc countries. That is why I wanted you to speak to her first. I knew she would be kind and considerate to your requests."

"So can I help?" Link asked.

"As a warrior, no." Zelda ordered. "I can't let you get involved in a battle. You are supposed to be neutral, after all. However, if you can help in more discrete ways, such as keeping an eye out for trouble and making a list of subjects that could be a threat to her, then I highly encourage you."

"How long should I stay?" Link asked.

"It would be rude to leave now after she has been so polite to you, so stay for a couple of days. But no longer. I can already sense war beginning and we can't waste any more time."

"Very well."

Mist was happily skipping through the halls when she heard Link talking to a woman in his room. Did he have a girl that he was sneaking in or something? She knew it was impolite, and her brother would kill her if he saw her doing it, but she put her ear to the door to listen.

"Now tell, how was your meetings with Queen Elincia?" The female voice asked.

Mist heard Link's voice reply. "Very good. The queen wishes to increase relationship with non Beorc countries. She's trying desperately to increase ties with the Laguz and greatly wishes for our countries to become more involved with each other. Although, she made it clear that she will not accept any outside help for the rebellion. She says it is her problem and her problem alone."

"That is a probably a very good idea." The woman agreed. "Anything else to report."

"Only that I'm curious how we'll get her and her champion to Hyrule on time for the tournament, and how to convince your father to let them join."

"Oh, the sages and I can take care of that problem. We can open portals to other parts of the world quite easily. As for my father, I'll speak to him."

"Good. I'll see you later."

"Link? One more thing?"

"Yes?"

"Rauru told me that his heir has been awakened in Tellius. You must find her and protect her from this war."

"Heir?" Link asked.

"Neither Rauru nor I know much. He told me shortly after you left. All we know is that she is a kind-hearted girl. She will most likely be gifted in light magic, but may not yet have her powers fully awakened. You'll know when you find her, don't worry."

"Right. Anything else?" Link asked.

"No. Good luck."

Everything went silent as Mist strained to hear whoever that woman was; she wasn't making a single noise now. The door opened in front of Link's room and Mist fell over, losing her support.

"I thought I sensed a presence. What are you doing?" Link asked, staring down at Mist, who looked up at Link's unhappy face.

"I'm sorry. I know it's rude to spy like that, but I was trying to figure out who your girlfriend was."

"My girlfriend?" Link asked astonished. "I wasn't speaking to my girlfriend, I was speaking to her highness of Hyrule through this." Link held up the strange blue stone that was attached to a necklace. "Please come in, I need to find out how much you heard."

Link helped Mist up and brought her into her room, closing the door behind them. Mist looked around the room nervously. Ike would kill both her and Link if he knew that she was in the Hylian's room by herself, especially late at night. If anyone found out, there would bound to be talk, just as there was of General Geoffrey and Queen Elincia.

"Please, have a seat." Link indicated to the table in his room that had four chairs. "I'll make some cocoa while we talk."

Link took out two cups and a bag of strange powder from his bag and poured some steaming water from a pot on his table. Link then opened up the bag and poured the powder into the cups. Mist watched in surprise as the water turned brown. Just like tea, but it smelled like chocolate.

"Is this some sort of potion that will make me forget what I heard?" Mist asked.

"No." Link chuckled. "I don't have that kind of skill."

Link took one of the cups and took a sip of the cocoa. Mist, still skeptical of what this potion was, also took a sip and found it one of the most delicious drinks she had ever tasted.

"Now, what did you hear?" Link asked seriously.

"Everything." Mist admitted. She felt guilty.

"The fact that I'm here to stop a war is no secret." Link spoke. "That I couldn't care less if you knew. However, everything else that you heard is top secret. I'm not supposed to interfere with the rebellion and if news broke out that I was, both the princess and I could be in great trouble. The worst thing you heard about the Rauru's heir. My enemies are everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if there were spies in this very castle working for the forces of darkness. They would literally kill to have such information. Mist, you can never let anyone know what you have heard tonight. Not even your brother can know. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Don't worry, no one will know." Mist promised.

"Good, now you'd better go back to your room and get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Umm, O.K." Mist agreed. She was surprised that Link handled the situation so well. He didn't yell at all, instead he treated it as a serious conversation that needed to be discussed between two friends. He was even nice enough to offer her that cocoa, even though Mist still wondered if it was a very sweet tasting potion.

"Oh, and Mist?" Link spoke, before the girl could leave the room.

"Yes, Link?"

"I don't want to see you trying to listen at my door again. If you want to see me, just knock and I'll answer. I won't tell anyone about it this time, but next time, I will have to report it to your brother."

"Right. Thanks, Link." She was eternally grateful that Ike wouldn't find out about this.

As Mist silently returned to her room so she wouldn't disturb her sleeping roommates, Link stayed awake and though of possible people that would want to be rid of the queen. He knew it was probably someone who was very powerful and would have been close to achieving the throne if Elincia had been killed by those bandits. It was also probably someone who did not agree with her current polices, especially her policy of trying to build ties with the Laguz. Link knew that Bastion was one of the queen's most trusted advisers, and yet there was something very suspicious about him. He was quite feared and tended to lock himself alone for hours. Not only that, but he had the resources to plan a kidnapping and would have something to gain from Elincia's capture. Then there was Elincia's uncle that Link met earlier in the day. According to what Link heard, he was supposed to be the heir of Crimea until Elicnia appeared. Link didn't know how many times a jealous brother or uncle had planned a ruler's downfall. Plus, since Elincia didn't have an heir, he would be next in line. Link also knew there were several other nobles that might want her highness out of the way. So many possibilities and not enough time to sort it out! Oh well, Link would sleep on it and tell Queen Elincia of his suspects in the morning.

Little did Link know, but Geoffrey was also doing his share in trying to figure out who was rebelling against Elincia. He and two of his most trusted knights had gone down to the dungeon to pay the prisoner that the Greil Mercenaries had captured a visit.

Geoffrey slammed the man against the bars of his cell violently.

"I'm sick of your bullshit of a story!" Geoffrey yelled. "Now, you are going to tell us who hired you or I'm going to beat it out of you!"

"I told you already." The man spoke as Geoffrey gripped his throat. "Those idiots thought they could come in our canyon, so we taught them a lesson."

"I don't believe you. A simple bandit wouldn't make sure the hostages captured by the Greil mercenaries were killed, nor would you have been able to set not one but two traps for them."

"Not believing me is your loss, not mine." The man hissed.

Geoffrey threw the man across the dungeon and then punched him in the face.

"Do you want more!"

The man only continued to glare at Geoffrey, but he remained silent. Geoffrey growled and began to approach the man, but his to guards stopped him from attacking by grabbing the general.

"I will continue this conversation without them tomorrow." Geoffrey hissed dangerously at the man as if he was ready to kill him.

Geoffrey grabbed the man and threw him back into his cell. He locked the doors and stomped up stairs, where Bastion waited for him.

"No luck, I'm guessing?" Bastion guessed, noticing the general's anger.

"I tried to threaten him with torture, but he knew it was illegal." Geoffrey sighed with frustration. "I got nowhere, only the same lie that he's told over and over."

"Well, get some rest." Bastion suggested. "You've worked hard today. We can always try tomorrow. See what a few days in a cold and wet dungeon, being fed hard bread and gross water does to the man."

"Very well." Geoffrey agreed. "Let's hope that we have better luck in the morning."

The next morning, Link rose bright and early and made a list of suspects for Queen Elincia. Of course, he had no evidence, but these would be the people that he planned to spy on for the next two days. Surely, he could find something on one of them.

Link walked towards the guards who were posted in front of Queen Elincia's throne room.

"I must speak to her highness immediately." Link informed.

"She is in session with another lord right now. You'll have to wait." One of the guards responded.

"Very well." Link walked over to a pillar. He closed his eyes and began to wait patiently.

After a few minutes, a young nobleman with brown hair walked out. He was dressed in white armor with gold decorative.

"So, you must be the ambassador." The man spoke to Link. "My name is Duke Ludveck. It is an honor to have met you."

"Thank you."

"You know, it has been a long time since a Hylian has stepped forth in our country. It would be an honor for me to have you at my mansion for dinner."

"My apologies, but I must decline." Link answered. "I have very strict orders from my lord of where I'm allowed to go and which nobles I am to meet with. I would like to, but I'm just too busy and will be gone soon to other countries."

"Well, perhaps another time." The Duke spoke as he walked away.

"Can I go in now?" Link asked the guards.

"Yes sir." They responded, opening the way for Link.

Queen Elincia sat in her throne holding her head as Link walked in.

"Sir Link, what brings you here?" The queen asked.

"I have come to speak with you about private matters that I forgot to bring up during our last meeting." Link lied, but with guards in the room, he dared not tell the truth quite yet.

"Very well." Elincia responded. She turned to the guards and asked them to leave immediately. "What do you wish to mention?"

Now that Link and Elincia was alone, he could speak more freely. "I made my report to Princess Zelda last night. She said it was O.K. if I tried to stop the rebellion as long as I worked in the shadows. That way, no one will know I broke my code of neutrality. So even though I can't fight, I can work as a sort of spy and try to gather information for you."

"Thank you, but I already have several spies. Lucia and Bastion are doing all they can."

"I realize that, but I can guarantee I will discover things they cannot." Link boasted. "I've studied both Sheikah and Gerudo ways; two groups of warriors who are masters at stealth. I will be able to go places and follow people that your normal spies cannot. I'm also unbiased to most of your nobleman at the moment, which means I won't overlook something that people who already know the nobleman would."

"I really appreciate this, Sir Link, but I'm afraid I will not accept outside help. This is an affair that my country has to deal with alone. I can't allow other countries to endanger themselves if this rebellion would turn to the worst."

"I am in no way representing Hyrule while I help you." Link explained. "I'm doing this because I want to and because it is my duty as a hero."

Queen Elincia could only sigh. "You're just like Ike, so willing to help others when in need, even when they try to reject it. I suppose I will have to accept your help. Do you have information I can use?"

"Why, yes I do. Here is a list of suspects I have created."

Queen Elincia took the list in her hand and began to read. There weren't many names on it, but the ones that were surprised her.

"Sir Link, why do you have Bastion and my uncle labeled as suspects?"

"Because they are." Link responded.

"But ever since Lord Renning returned to my country with Bastion a short while ago, he has done nothing but support and guide me. He has been one of my most loyal followers."

"He is next to inherit the throne, and did you just say that Bastion was the one who brought him back? I've learned from experience that it is often your most loyal followers that you have to watch. You have nothing to fear from those who openly show distain for you because they're not hiding anything. Those who are polite and only live to serve, those are the ones you must watch."

That was, after all, how the King of Hyrule had been tricked by Ganondorf's servants and how so many other rulers had lost their crowns.

"But Bastion risked his life to bring my uncle back. He left to Daein and found him brainwashed by a drug that made him believe he was someone else. Through diplomatic polices that not even I understand, Bastion was some how able to take Renning to a tribe of Herons who healed him of his drugged state and then brought him here."

"I'm sorry, your highness, I realize this upsets you, but I felt it was something important to bring to your awareness."

"Bastion was also the one who sent the Greil Missionaries to save me." Elincia responded. "If it hadn't been for his planning, who knows what would have happened to me or my country during my absence?" Queen Elincia continued to make excuses for her uncle and advisor.

"I'm terribly sorry, your highness." Link apologized. "Please keep in mind this was only speculation and that nothing has been proven yet. I will report to you if I have seen anything at all. Please forgive me and I hope to speak to you soon on more joyous occasions."

Bastion walked down a hall towards the stairs that led to the castle's dungeon. Unknown to him, Link was spying on the arch-mage. Two guards stood in front of the stairs that led to the dungeon, blocking anyone from entering.

"Remember your orders." Bastion reminded the two men.

"You do realize that if we get caught, the consequences could be severe."

"I already informed you that if that were to occur, I will take the blame." Bastion assured. "Now the only question is who do you fear more, me or the law?"

"We will make sure no one enters." The guard assured Bastion as he walked down the stairs.

'_Interesting way of getting what he wants.'_ Link noted as he poked his head out from behind the corner. Getting past those guards without conflict would be a problem. Or at least it would be a problem if Link didn't have a bag full of tricks.

"Link!"

Link turned around to see Mist running towards him.

The guards turned their heads in Link's direction, who quickly darted behind the corner so he wouldn't be spotted.

"Crap." Link growled, as he quickly ran towards Mist. The girl was about to say something, but Link covered her mouth. "Shh." Link hushed. "I'm doing one of those jobs I told you about."

"Oops sorry! Who are you spying on?" Mist asked in a hushed tone.

"I can't tell you." Link whispered.

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense." Mist agreed. "Sorry about almost blowing your cover. Is there any way I can help you?"

"As there a matter of fact, there is." Link began whispering in Mist's ear.

The two guards continued to keep watch in their position as they heard Mist and Link talking loudly.

"Hey Link, you want to come with me to Calill's bar." Mist asked loudly so the guards could hear.

"I don't know." Link admitted. "I still have some work to do."

"Oh come on, even you need a break once in a while." Mist grabbed Link by the arm and began to pull him around the corner in front of the guards and then around another corner.

"For someone who's supposedly such a great warrior, he sure gets pulled around by a little girl easily." One of guards chuckled to the other in a quiet enough tone so that Link wouldn't be able to hear him.

"Thanks for your help, Mist." Link whispered. "I'm going to turn into a Minish now so you won't be able to see me."

Link put on a strange red cap with a red border around it and began to shrink until he was even smaller than Mist's thumb. Mist looked down and squinted at the now even more adorable Link and had to suppress a giggle.

"What's so funny?" The tiny Link asked in a high pitched, squeaky voice. "Wait, how can you see me? I'm a Minish now and you're an adult. Adults can't see Minish.

Mist gently picked the tiny Link up in her hand and held him up so that he could be at the level of her face.

"Well, I can." Mist spoke.

This was interesting. The only adults who could see Minish when they didn't wish to see them were Link and Zelda. How in the world could Mist see him? Link was beginning to wonder.

"Well, that's no problem." Link assured. "I doubt those guards will be able to see me."

Mist watched as the Minish Link ran towards the stairs. One of the guards looked directly down at Link. Mist gulped, hoping Link wasn't caught. The guards didn't even seem to notice Link though, regardless of the fact that they were looking straight at him. He was invisible to all other adults. Thank the goddesses.

Bastion walked down the stairs and opened the cell door to the man that Geoffrey had unsuccessfully interrogated.

"Get up." Bastion ordered the shackled man. "I have some questions for you."

"My story won't change." The man informed Bastion.

"Yes, I suppose you believe your silence will prevent the rebels from killing you. Cowards like you are easily made to obey orders through threats such as death, but I have found an easier way to get around this problem."

Bastion opened a spell book and directed a weak continuous blast of lightning from his finger to shock the prisoner. At first, the lightning only left a small tingling sensation through the man's body, but as the attack continued, it began to hurt more and more. Soon the prisoner was in so much pain, he fell to his knees, screaming.

"What are you doing?" He cried. "Torture isn't aloud here!"

"I don't believe you." Bastion answered. "I know you have something to do with the rebellion, and you're going to tell me who hired you."

"Stop! This is torture! It's illegal in Crimea!"

"Not according to the law." Bastion informed. "I made sure to read the law against torture quite extensively and there is a loophole."

"I told you! I don't know anything!" The man cried as the lightning torture continued.

"Oh, is that so? Well, this is just going to get more painful." Bastion informed, making his attack even stronger.

"All right!" The man screamed having enough. "I'll talk. It was…"

Link ran down the stairs in his Hylian form, and saw what Bastion was doing to the prisoner. Link quickly jumped from the stairs and landed on top of Bastion, knocking the arch-mage on to his back and ceasing his attack of lightning.

"What do you think your doing?" Bastion demanded, getting to his feet and meeting the glaring Hylian in the eye.

"What do you think you're doing?" Link responded. "You know as well as I do that torture is not allowed in Crimea, nor should it be."

"You fool! This legally isn't torture and he was talking."

"I don't care what it was legally, it was wrong."

"You'd getter listen up and listen up well, hero." Bastion spoke in a deadly tone. "I appreciate what you have done for the world and for her highness, but if you stand in my way of protecting my kingdom, then…"

"Bastion, that's enough." Lucia interrupted, walking down the stairs with several guards.


	7. Chapter 7 Guests

Ch. 7 Guests

"How could you do something like this to me?" Queen Elincia lectured Bastion.

When Lucia had discovered Bastion, they immediately went to see Queen Elincia, for only she could decide what would be done with the arch-mages deceptiveness. Lucia wanted to see the queen so that Bastion would be lectured, Bastion wanted to see the queen so he could explain why his ways were acceptable and not illegal.

"I would never do anything to jeopardize you, your highness." Bastion explained. "The rebellion is getting stronger each day. We need to find out who is the source of it and take care of him."

"That may be true, but that is my job Bastion, not yours." Lucia reminded.

"You do realize that what you did was illegal?" Queen Elincia began.

"What I did may have been immoral, but it was by no means illegal. I was present when the law against torture was written. I know the law quite well and know how to bend it in ways that can benefit us, your highness."

"It doesn't matter." Queen Elincia continued. "When I make a law, I expect it to be upheld, not bent to our luxuries, and especially not when it is done without my approval. Bastion, you are always telling me to be a strong ruler and to not let others sway my beliefs. How can I be a strong leader when my most-trusted advisor does such things behind my back?

It was quite clear to everyone that Queen Elincia seemed more hurt by Bastion's deception than anything else.

"I'm sorry, your highness." Bastion apologized. "I merely wanted to get to the bottom of this situation as soon as possible. You know those rebels will not fight fairly."

"It does not matter." Queen Elincia interrupted. "I do not care how the rebels fight. I will not sink to their level of dishonor."

"Very well, your highness." Bastion agreed. "You have my word that I will not do anything like this behind your back again."

"Good, you are dismissed." Elincia spoke.

Bastion bowed as he left.

"Just like that, you're letting him off?" Lucia asked.

"Even though his acts were highly disapproved, he didn't do anything illegal." Elincia responded. "Besides, he has done nothing but serve me, and his word that he won't do that again is good enough for me. We have more pressing matters to attend to, anyway."

"Agreed." Lucia rose and bowed to the queen as she left.

"So what do you think, Link?" Elincia asked the Hylian.

He had silently sat in the corner during the conversation. Because he was the one who witnessed Bastion's actions, he was forced to be present to the meeting.

"Well, if he was in charge of the rebellion, I doubt he would secretly torture a man to get information from him." Link admitted.

"You believe me that neither Bastion nor my uncle were behind it?"

"It would appear that you are correct." Link admitted. "I still don't like his shady plans. As your advisor, he shouldn't hide anything from you."

"I know, but as I told Lucia, I have more important matters to worry about. I thank your for your services, Link, and I would suggest trying to avoid Bastion. He is most likely a little irritated with you now."

"Yes, your highness." Link agreed bowing as he left.

"Lucia, wait up." Bastion called towards the blue haired woman.

"Bastion, if you are going to try to read me one of your silly love poems after that incident, I suggest you don't. I'm quite infuriated with you right now." Lucia warned.

"Yes, I'm sure you are. But, like the queen, you must realize that this rebellion will soon get out of hand if something is not done."

"And do you think I am sitting around?" Lucia asked. "My spies are working around the clock. Who ever is behind this is very good. We are investigating a couple of leads that seem promising."

"Well, that is comforting. Tell me, I heard that the annual ball was canceled earlier today. Why is that?"

"My brother felt it was too dangerous to allow so many people in the castle during a rebellion, especially since we're almost sure it is one of the noblemen who are behind it."

"That is true, yes, but General Geoffrey isn't thinking this through." Bastion began. "One, to cancel the ball in such late notice could be seen as an insult to many of the nobles already on their way here. Two, if there is going to be trouble, I would prefer it to be right under our noses. Three, by canceling the annual ball due to the rebels shows that we fear them. It is best for her highness to go about her daily plans as if nothing is wrong and let us deal with the rebellion. That way, the rebels will see we are not scared of them and become more hesitant. Reason four, and this is my final reason, I've come up a plan that will help us discover the rebels, but it will only work if we have the ball. What do you say, my dear?"

"You're already scheming." Lucia pointed.

"Why, of course. Is this not my job?" Bastion questioned.

"Well, I suppose your points are valid, but you had best let the queen and me onto your plan."

"Let's just say it involves a couple of people with very good noses. As her highness requested, I sent a letter to King Caineghis inviting him to the annual ball. Of course, this was long before I was aware that the Laguz began to gather so that they could go to war against Begnion. The King had replied though and is still coming. I know he offered his help to her highness earlier and she refused. However, there may be a way for him to help without anyone even realizing it."

"You want him to go around sniffing people?"

"Of course not! Just keep a sharp eye out or, in this case, nose out for trouble. All he has to do is introduce himself to the nobleman and if he senses anything deceptive, tell us. No one would even know. Of course, that is if he is willing to cooperate in this plan."

"Your plan does sound decent, Bastion, I'll give you that, but I will have to check with both her highness and King Caineghis."

"Why, of course. Oh, and one other thing, my love…" Bastion announced.

"What?" Lucia asked, annoyed with Bastion's constant love speeches with her.

"I suggest you continue training her highness in the ways of the blade. There will come a time during this rebellion when she may need to defend herself."

"I know. I was thinking the same thing."

"Great minds think alike. Now, if you'd excuse me, my beautiful swordsmaiden, I have some poetry to write."

Link sat in his room and pondered who else could be leading the revolt against Queen Elincia. The only other person he had met so far was Duke Ludveck, but he was long gone, and Link had to stay in the capitol until he left. Link's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Link answered it and saw a servant holding a piece of sealed parchment.

"Sir Link, I was asked to deliver this to you from the queen. Please have a nice day." The servant quickly bowed and went on his way.

Link sat in a chair, opened the parchment, and slowly read through it. Because it wasn't written in Hylian, It was hard for Link to read, but he was able to figure out what it was without needing to know the language well. Because of all his adventures through mazes and dungeons, Link had become quite talented at solving puzzles. The parchment was apparently an invitation to some sort of ball that would be occurring.

With yet another event on Link's mind, he decided to take a walk. He had already explored the castle in all of its entity. It was not nearly as grand or luxurious as the castle of Hyrule. Then again, few were.

Link still enjoyed the walk. It was a way for him to clear his mind and focus on his true objective. As he whistled a song Saria had taught him, he noticed Ike was leaning over the balcony. He seemed to be watching something.

"What are you doing?" Link asked curiously.

"Oh me?" Ike asked with a look on his face that would have made Link think he had just caught the mercenary doing something embarrassing. "Nothing really."

Link walked over to the balcony and saw Queen Elincia training against Lucia.

"Keeping an eye on the queen, I see." Link commented.

"Well, I am hired to protect her." Ike informed. "Both Bastion and Soren believe that the rebels have someone working from the inside. I figured that it wouldn't hurt if I kept watch from a high spot like this just in case a sniper tried to kill her."

"I see." Link replied. He looked down and watched the queen's progress. It was nice to see a female ruler of the Beorc actually learning to defend herself properly. In so many of the Beorc countries that Link had visited, it was rare for women to hold power, and even rarer for them to learn how to use weapons. Noblewomen were often expected to be troubadours if anything. This was quite different from Hyrule, where females had just as much power as males. At least one Beorc country was progressing forward with the ages.

Elincia continued to attack Lucia, who blocked the queen's attacks with ease. The Queen was not yet skilled as a warrior, but she had obviously had some experience in combat. That or Lycia had taught her well.

"Keep your guard up." Lucia instructed, pushing Elincia back with her own attack. "Watch your footing, or you'll stumble. Good, now try to block my thrust."

As Lucia thrust her blade towards Elincia, she stepped out of the way of her teacher's attack and was able to counter the attack by slashing in a curved motion and then attacked with a thrust.

Lucia easily blocked the queen's attack. "All right. That's enough for today."

The queen was panting from her strenuous training.

"You're getting better." Lucia commented. "Or you've learned how I fight and know how to counter my attacks. Either way, I think we should have you face against a different opponent; maybe someone who uses an ax or spear. Fighting against different types of weapon wielders would do you good."

Link walked down the stairs of the balcony. He clapped his hands to commend the queen for a job well done.

"Well done, your highness." Link complimented. "You're very well-trained. Have you fought before in battle out of all curiosity?"

"Yes, of a matter of fact, I have a few times. It was during the Mad King's War, three years ago. Because of the years of peace we had, I neglected my training due to my distaste for battle, but now because of the rebellion, I have seen that I need to sharpen my skills once again. Oh, Link? Did you receive the invitation?"

"Yes, your highness, I did." Link responded.

"Excellent." The queen responded. "You will come, won't you?"

"If that is what you wish, I will not reject. I don't need a date, do I?"

"No." Elincia chuckled. "Lord Ike, you will be coming as well, won't you?" The queen asked the mercenary.

"I don't know." Ike responded walking down to speak to the queen. "I'm not a huge fan of dancing." Ike responded.

"Oh, come on Ike! You've got to come." Mist coaxed. She stood unnoticed until now to the sidelines, watching Elincia train with Lucia. "Titania has already made plans for us. It'll be fun."

"I suppose." Ike sighed. "Since you won't stop badgering me until I agree to."

Mist just gave an innocent smile and then grabbed her brother by the cap and began to drag him with her.

"Well then, come on. Titania and I need to make you look good, and that takes a lot of work."

"Mist, let me go." Ike demanded. "I'm supposed to stay with the princess in case of an attack."

"Oh please, she has about a thousand guards to do that. I'm sure she'll be fine." Mist argued as she turned to wave to Link as her and Ike left to meet up with Titania. "Bye Link."

"Your highness, while we are on the subject of the ball, I would like to bring up some of our guests." Lucia spoke.

"Did King Caineghis reply?"

"Yes, he did. He should be here within a couple of days." Lucia replied.

A couple days later Caineghis, the King of Gallia, arrived in the capital of Crimea. King Caineghis was currently in his lion form and was easily the size of a horse. On his right was a blue panther and to his left was a brown cat just slightly smaller than the panther, but almost the size of a human. Behind the king was a blue saber-tooth tiger that was smaller than the king, but larger than the other two cats.

People rushed off of the streets as the creatures approached. Not out of respect for the creatures, but out of fear. Despite the fact that Crimea and Gallia were allies, both countries had many citizens that hated each other dearly, and it was because of Queen Elincia, her dead father, and Caineghis that they were now allies.

"Mommy, mommy, look at all the big kitties." A small girl with maroon hair and eyes squealed in excitement, jumping up and down as she pointed to the giant creatures. "Can I pet them?"

"No, Amy." A woman with brown hair and blue eyes responded, picking up her daughter. "That is King Caineghis and his men. They have important business with the Queen."

"The King's a kitty?" The girl asked confused.

"No, my dear." The mom responded.

"Hi kitty!" The girl waved.

The smaller of the two blue cats looked at the girl and mother and gave what appeared to be a friendly smile and then continued walking.

As the four large beasts approached the castle, where Princess Elincia stood calmly, waiting for her guests. When the four creatures had reached the queen, they transformed into what appeared to be human forms. There were some slight alterations to the Gallians' human forms though. They kept their tails, fangs and whiskers if they had them, and their ears were the same as their beast forms. Their face also seemed to have a similar shape their beast forms did.

King Caineghis kept both his main and powerful build from his lion form. Most people only stood up to the bottom of his neck and his body was as muscular as a body builder's. The man to Caineghis's right was his right hand man, Ranulf.

Ranulf was a slim, lean figure of average length. He had short blue hair on the top of his head and a small stripe of fur on each cheek. What was interesting about Ranulf was that one of his eyes was purple while the other was green.

The cat at Caineghis's left was Lethe, a very short tempered, but high-ranked, individual in Callia. She was slightly shorter than most women and had short brown hair with purple eyes. She wore a collar with bells hanging down from the end and gloves with holes her claws poking through the material.

The final of the four Gallians was the tiger, Mordecai. He was large and muscular, but not as large as the king. He had a blue beard and stripes along his face.

King Caineghis and Princess Elincia faced each other and bowed respectfully to one another.

"Princess Elincia, it has been awhile since I last saw you. You have grown a little and your country seems to be doing quite wonderfully."

"Yes, thank you." The princess thanked the mighty Gallian king. "Please come inside. We have much to discuss."

The princess led the King inside with his three followers behind him.

Elincia lead Caineghis into the meeting hall that was empty while everyone else had to wait inside.

"Well, they'll be in there for awhile. We might as well go for a walk." Ranulf suggested. "I think I smell Ike around."

"You do?" Lethe asked, perking up, sniffing the air. "Hey, so do I."

"Oh come on, I just took a shower. I can't smell that bad." Ike commented, walking down the hall towards the Gallians.

"General Ike!" Tethe yelled as he ran to the mercenary.

"Hey guys, it's good to see you all again." Ike greeted. "I'm guessing you're here with the King?"

"Yep." Ranulf spoke. "Say Ike, can I please speak to you alone somewhere? It's pretty important."

"Yeah, sure." Ike assured.

Ike led Ranulf down a flight of stairs to an old and musty storage room that was lit with only a single candle.

"I see you still like simple things." Ranulf spoke, looking around the musty storage room. "Personally, I was surprised to see you still living here, given your hatred of nobility and all."

"Long story." Ike commented in a hushed voice. "Anyway, you said you wanted to speak to me about something?"

"Yeah, I did." Ranulf spoke quietly. "War's coming. The bird tribes and the beast tribes have joined to forces to attack Begnion."

"What? Why are they going to war with Begnion?"

"Reason number one is because we heard it was Begnion who was responsible for the burning of the Serenes forest and the massacre of the Herons. Number two is because Begnion is continuing its Laguz slave trade, and that situation has suddenly become worse. It went from a black market to being strongly supported by the Senate."

"I can't believe it! I know there are some problems in Begnion, but the Empress would never allow such things. She even imprisoned and executed one of the senators for his participation in the Laguz slave trade."

"I know. That's what's so weird about this situation. War hasn't broke out yet. His highness is doing everything he can to prevent one, but his hot-headed nephew, Skrimir, thinks otherwise. He's already gathered troops and is ready for war. Sad thing is, that hothead doesn't know the first thing about war."

"Can't King Caineghis do something?"

"He's tried. Caineghis sent some ambassadors to Begnion to speak with the senators. The ambassadors wanted to find out if they really are responsible for these actions or if there is someone trying to provoke a war between the two countries. However, we haven't heard from them yet. I was hoping they'd be back by now. Each day they don't return, Skrimir and the men become more anxious. I anticipate a war. Anyone with eyes can see one is brewing. However, if war were to break out, my people would be defeated. We have enough man power, but we can't compete with Beorc modern weaponry or magic."

"You want my help." Ike guessed.

"I do. We won the Mad King's War, thanks to you, Ike, and my people need your help if we are going to win this one."

"I'm not sure what to say." Ike responded truthfully. "We both know what could happen to Lehran's medallion if war broke out, and even if I did want to help, I would have to talk about it with the rest of the mercenaries."

"Well, think about it. War hasn't occurred yet. And I hope it doesn't, but we need to be prepared, regardless."

"Agreed." Ike nodded. "I will give you my reply after I've spoken with the others. I also can't help until this rebellion is over. I have a contract with the Princess to protect her until she no longer needs my help."

Elincia and King Caineghis sat in their meeting room and discussed the various diplomatic issues of their countries.

"And as you may already know, my presence here is a response to the letter I received from Bastion." The large King spoke.

"Yes, I was told by Lucia that he wanted you to keep a sharp nose out for anyone who you smell as suspicious. Can Laguz do that? I know you have a strong sense of smell, but I didn't realize it was that strong."

"Bastion has done his homework. I'll give that to the cunning noble. Although most of my kind has a sense of smell that is better than a Beorc, only I would have the ability to smell deception from a talented liar. It was because the original King of Gallia was blessed by the goddess Ashera with enhanced physical abilities and that blessing has been passed down among the royal bloodline."

"If you cannot help, I understand."

"Do not worry about that, your highness. We are allies, and therefore, we help each other when needed. I would have offered my help earlier, but you didn't seem to desire it."

"I am terribly sorry, my lord." The princess apologized. "I didn't wish to involve foreign countries in matters that were of only Crimea's concern. I didn't know you were volunteering to assist me until Lucia informed me of Bastion's plan."

"Please keep in mind that whoever wins this power struggle will affect the rest of Tellius. No other nobleman or leader in all of Crimea has made a better ally for Gallia than you. If you were to fall from power, my country would lose a powerful ally. Therefore, helping you helps not only Crimea, but Gallia and the rest of the Laguz countries as well. Besides, your father was a good friend and ally of mine, and I'd hate to see anything happen to his one and only child"

"I understand. Thank you, my King. Speaking of Bastion, I wonder where he has gone."

"Probably doing his job, your highness; making schemes to assist you."

Bastion and two of his men walked across town towards a lone bar and knocked on the door. A peephole opened on the door and an eye peered through it to see who had knocked. The door was opened.

"Stay here." Bastion ordered the two men.

The noblemen walked into the bar as the door shut behind.

"Good day, Calill. How are you?" Bastion asked.

"Very good, Lord Bastion, I have not seen you here for awhile." Calill spoke. Calill was a woman in her late twenties with long brown hair and she wore red bartender clothing. She had been a good friend of Elincia before she had become queen and often received good business from her and her royal guard. There was a rumor that Calill was a sorceress. Both Bastion and Elincia knew this rumor was true, but kept it secret for Calill's sake.

"I noticed your adoptive daughter became a little excited when she saw the Laguz."

"Yes." Calill spoke. "Children are so innocent. They don't realize prejudice or hate yet. You came to speak to me about something?"

"Why, yes. As you know, we are having our yearly ball tomorrow, and I'd like you to come as our bartender."

"Certainly, but I thought Queen Elincia was worried about the rebellion and didn't want civilians getting involved."

"This is just a simple ball, my dear. It has nothing to do with the rebellion. Besides, you're not going as a soldier; you're merely coming to help with entertainment." Bastion informed with a wink. "Now, if you'd excuse me, my dear, I need to finish the poem I'm going to read to Lucia before I ask her to dance."

Link walked through the woods of Crimea. It was such a peaceful and quiet place with no one around. Link quite enjoyed nature like this. Because he had been so busy lately, he hadn't had a chance to enjoy its wonders and it was nice for him to finally have a break. While Link was laying the ground, letting a ray of sun light shoot through the tree tops and warm his skin, he heard a scream coming from deeper inside the woods. Never one to ignore a person in need, Link quickly drew his sword and shield and ran towards the source of the scream.

Link found two Laguz being harassed by about a dozen soldiers. These Laguz weren't the same type as the cat Laguz. These Laguz had large wings on their backs and pointy ears. One of the Laguz was an old man with black wings. The other was a young and beautiful girl with long blond hair and wings that looked like they belonged to an angel. She was wearing a nice white dress, indicating that she was royalty.

"Back, back I say." The older Laguz yelled, swinging his cane around wildly at the men. "Don't worry, my princess. I won't let these scum lay a finger on you."

The old Laguz transformed into a giant raven the size of a small horse. The raven tried to attack the twelve soldiers, but was largely outnumbered and was knocked out.

"He's just an old raven." Another guard informed. "He's worthless. But the female, she's a female heron. A Laguz as rare and beautiful as that will earn us enough money to live an easy retirement."

Link arrived at the scene just in time to see the old raven knocked out and the men trying to grab the female heron.

'_Slave traders.'_ Link thought, angered by the thought that such a market existed. "Excuse me, I don't know what you men are up to, but if its slavery, then I will put a stop to it."

"What? Who in the heck are you?" One of the soldiers asked. "Don't you realize who we are? We're soldiers of Begnion, the most powerful country on in all of Tellius."

"I don't care who you are." Link spat. "Slavery is the lowest form of black market trade that exists and only scum like you would take place in it."

"And what will you do about it?" One of the guards threatened. "There is only one of you and twelve of us. You don't even look like a knight."

"I'm just a foreigner, yes, but if you fight me, it will end badly for you." Link warned.

"We'll see about that!"

All twelve men charged towards Link at once, not knowing what they were getting themselves into. Link moved so fast that the men could barely keep up with him, and soon they were all defeated. Of course, Link made sure not to kill them because they were soldiers from a different country and he opposed killing people.

"Why you." One of the men growled as he and the other soldier pulled themselves up. They were too ignorant and arrogant to know when to stay down.

Link just sighed and prepared to knock them out again when he heard a woman's voice yell from the sky.

"What the heck is going on here!" A woman yelled as she flew down on her Pegasus. Link recognized this person as the pink-haired Pegasus rider who served under Queen Elincia. He believed her name was Marcia.

"I don't know what you are doing here, but you'd best leave. This is Crimea territory and any solider from Begnion that tries to come here without ratification is violating the peace treaty and will be arrested."

"What? How dare you?" One of the Begnion soldiers yelled. "If it weren't for us Begnions, your country would still be under Daein's rule."

"I couldn't care less what you guys did to help us. That was then and this is now. Now you lizard brains can leave with your tails behind your backs or I'll make you leave." Marcia informed.

The men looked at Link and the enraged Pegasus knight, and quickly ran while they still could.

"And don't come back!" Marcia yelled. The Pegasus knight then turned to Link and the two Laguz. The heron still seemed very frightened and was tending to the wounds of her old bodyguard.

"Well, it looks like I got here just in time, didn't I, Link?" Marcia stated.

"Sure." Link chuckled. He knew he could have taken care of the men if needed.

"Well, it's been a while, hasn't it, Leanne?" Marcia spoke to the female Laguz.

"Marcia, ketos ignus ecsiturum." The female heron spoke, confusing Marica.

"Oh I forgot, you don't speak our language." Marcia chuckled.

Link's ears perked up when he heard the female heron speak. He didn't understand all of what she said, but he recognized the language. It was ancient Hylian, the original language of the world.

"Did I win?" The old raven Laguz asked as he woke up and reverted back into his human-like form.

"Nealuchi, hosta ikta aseam." Leanne told the old man.

"Oh yes." The raven responded, understanding at least some of the girl's language. "The princess would like to thank you for helping us. We were heading towards Crimea castle when those bastards attacked us."

"Tell Leanne it was no problem." Marcia assured. "The castle isn't far from here. Can you still fly, Nealuchi?"

"Of course." The old raven assured. "These old wings have taken more damage than that."

"O.K., just follow me. I'm sure Queen Elincia will welcome you." Marcia informed. "Hey hun, do need a ride?" Marcia asked Link.

"No thanks, I'm fine." Link responded. He felt slightly intimidated by the Pegasus rider's flirtatious and fiery attitude.

"O.K., I'll see ya later, Link." The Pegasus rider flew off with both of the bird Laguz following her.

Marcia brought Leanne and the old raven to Queen Elincia, who was happy to see them.

"Leanne, Nealuchi, it has been long since I have seen either of you. How are you both doing?" The queen asked.

"We are doing just fine, my highness. We were heading to Gallia to speak with King Caineghis about the recent alliance between the beast and bird tribes."

"What alliance?" Elincia asked.

"Well, recently the beast tribes and bird tribes have signed treaties in case war breaks out and it was agreed that being the eldest, wisest, and most powerful of the Laguz kings, King Caineghis should be the leader of the alliance."

"I see." Elincia spoke. "King Caineghis is currently staying with us. He was invited to our yearly ball. I would prefer not to discuss war plans against outside countries in my castle, though."

"Nealuchi." Leanne spoke; tugging at the old ravens clothes. "Ball, ball."

"Yes, my princess, I understand." The old raven spoke to the young heron. "Queen Elincia, Leanne heard the word 'ball' and would like to know if she can come. Being a heron, she enjoys dances and musical activities."

"Of course she can come if she wishes." Elincia assured. "You can also stay here if you need a place to stay."

"Thank…you." Leanne spoke in Elincia's language.

"What?" Elincia gasped. "Leanne, did you just speak our language?"

"Yes." The old raven spoke. "The princess has been working very diligently on learning this new language."

"Well, that is great." Elincia spoke. "I know how hard it can be to stay in a foreign country where the culture is much different than yours. It must be even worse when you don't understand the language. I will see you tomorrow at the ball, Leanne."

"Yes…tomorrow." Leanne answered, indicating she understood. "Ball tomorrow…we…have…lots…of…fun."


	8. Chapter 8 The Ball

Ch. 8 The Ball

"Come on, Rhys! We're going to be late." Mia told the priest, dragging him towards the ballroom.

"Why am I coming to this ball?" Rhys asked.

"Because the fortune teller who I went to last night said I would meet my future soul mate at the ball and he'd be dressed in white."

"Oh." Rhys responded, now realizing why Mia had made sure Rhys wore white.

Only a few of the mercenaries went to the ball. Soren and Shinon were unsociable, so they had no interest in attending. Titania had grown out of being excited over balls and dancing with gentlemen. Mia and Mist were excited about going and had forced Rhys and Ike to go with them. Mist wanted to Ike dance with Elincia, and Mia wanted a chance to dance with Rhys. Gatrie also wanted to go because of his desire to meet pretty women.

Mia opened the doors to the ballroom. The dance had already begun. All the nobles in Crimea were present, as well as King Caineghis, Leanne, and Link. The old raven, Nealuchi, had accompanied the heron princess as her shadow and bodyguard.

King Caineghis was introducing himself to various nobles and speaking to them about politics. The other cats from the Laguz tribe were sitting at a table drinking some milk and eating catnip that Queen Elincia had provided. Leanne was happily dancing to the music either by herself or anyone who was willing dance with a "Laguz".

Calill was at the bar, serving people drinks while her little girl, Amy, wondered off somewhere.

"Come, let's dance." Mist suggested.

Mia grabbed Rhys and pulled him to the dance floor with her.

Bastion walked up to Lucia and began to recite his poem to her. "Oh, lovely maiden of this fine ballroom, you…"

"If I dance with you, will you stop reciting your poetry to me?" Lucia asked.

"It would be every man's dream to dance with such a lovely lady as yourself." Bastion replied.

"Very well." Lucia sighed as she allowed Bastion to take her hand and lead her to the dance floor.

Link watched everyone dance as he chatted with blue haired cat Laguz, Ranulf. Ranulf was a very easy person to get along with. He was very friendly and good-natured. He also tried to tell jokes, which weren't always overly funny, but Link forced himself to laugh to be polite.

"Hey Link, why aren't you dancing?" Mist asked the Hylian hero.

"Who, me?" Link asked. "Oh, I don't dance."

"Oh, come on! That's the oldest excuse in the book." Mist grumped. "Come and dance with me."

"Yeah, she's right." Ranulf joked. "Why don't you go dance with such a pretty lady?"

Mist was finally able to force Link to his feet and Ranulf gave the Hylian a push towards the dance floor.

"Have fun you two." Ranulf called, laughing. "Ouch."

Ranulf jumped as he felt something tug at his tail. Ranulf turned around to see Calill's four-year-old daughter standing behind him.

"Wow, it is real." The girl giggled. "Mommy told me it was, but I didn't believe her. I hope I didn't hurt you, Mr. Kitty Face."

"No, I'm fine." Ranulf assured. "Why aren't you with your mom, kiddo?" Ranulf asked as he set the small girl on his lap.

"Mommy is busy, so I snuck away." The girl explained. "Look what I brought you, Mr. Kitty Face."

The girl held up a small wiggling fish.

"I caught it in the fountain outside. Mommy says you like fresh fish, so I caught one for you."

"Why yes, I do." Ranulf accepted the gift. Normally, he would have eaten the fish right there, but because humans, or Beorc, which was the proper term to call humans, considered eating a raw fish as disgusting and rude, he refrained from doing so. Instead he stuffed it in his pocket.

"I'll save it for later." Ranulf told the girl.

"O.K." The girl responded. "Will you be my pet?"

"What?" Lethe suddenly gasped. She then hissed angrily at the child.

The small girl began to whimper when Lethe hissed at her and Ranulf put his arms around Amy and let her bury her head into his stomach in an attempt to hide from the female cat Laguz.

"Knock it off, Lethe." Ranulf ordered.

"What, first Begnion wants to enslave us all and now we're being seen as pets?" Lethe hissed.

"I said knock it off." Ranulf ordered. "If you want to make a scene, do it outside. We're here as guests."

"Yes sir." Lethe obeyed her commanding officer. She became quiet again.

"Now, now. There's nothing to be scared about." Ranulf comforted Amy. "Lethe isn't that scary, she's just a little cranky."

Amy lifted her head and looked Lethe, who pretended to smile at her so she wouldn't get into trouble.

"It's O.K." The girl assured Ranulf. "I don't think she meant it."

"Amy, what have I told you about running off and bothering our guests." Calill lectured. She ran to her daughter and picked her up. "I'm really sorry, Ranulf."

"No prob, Calill." Ranulf assured. "She was quite enjoyable."

"Bye bye, Mr. Kitty Face." Amy waved to Ranulf as she left.

"Didn't you even realize what she was?" Lethe whispered to Ranulf.

"What? You mean a branded?" Ranulf whispered back. "Of course I could. She smelled just like one. She's obviously not really Calill's daughter. They don't smell a thing alike."

"Why were you even tolerant of her? You even let her sit on your lap. That's disgusting." Lethe lectured.

"Oh, come on." Ranulf chuckled. "She's just a little girl who doesn't even realize she isn't a Beorc yet. Most Beorcs can tell the difference between their own kind and branded because they look alike. Once she starts aging slowly, she'll find out the cruel truth. I can't help but feel sorry for her. She's such a cheerful and sweet girl."

"Still, branded are abominations that shouldn't be born." Lethe informed.

"Lethe, Lethe. If you would have married Ike and had kids with him like you daydreamed about, your children would have been branded."

"Yeah, but I'm so over him." Lethe informed. "I'm not some stupid child anymore."

"Whatever." Ranulf snorted.

Link rested in a chair after dancing with Mist and a couple other ladies who had dragged him onto the dance floor. Because it was a formal ball, two people weren't allowed to dance with one another more than twice, so now he could finally relax without worrying about dancing. Link felt a gentle tug on his tunic and Hylian hero looked down to see Callil's daughter looking up at him.

"Will you dance with me?" The small girl asked innocently. "I was told by mommy not to bother Mr. Kitty Face and no one else will."

"Very well." Link agreed. He didn't want to hurt the small girl's feelings. Link knelt so he was at least close to the same height of the girl as he began to dance with her. No doubt, he received odd stares for doing so, but he ignored them. He never really cared what others thought about him.

Elincia had just finished dancing with Bastion and was about to dance with one of the nobles when Ike cut in.

"My Princess." Ike offered his hand to the queen.

"Do it." Mist whispered to Elincia. It had been Mist and Mia who had pushed Ike to ask the queen and there was no way Mist would allow the queen turn him down.

"Umm, very well." The queen accepted reluctantly. She allowed Ike to take her by the hand as the two began to dance.

Dancing together felt like a fantasy come to life for both Ike and Elincia. The two gazed into each other's eyes as they moved across the dance floor. It felt like this experience could last forever for Queen Elincia until she noticed there were noblemen looking at her. They whispered and snickered to one another.

"Excuse me, Lord Ike, but I must go." Elincia informed as she hurried out of the ballroom onto the balcony.

Link noticed Queen Elincia's stress while he danced with Amy. He decided to cut the dance short with the girl.

"Hey Amy, why don't you dance with Mr. Kitty Face?" Link suggested.

"Because Mommy said I can't bother him, remember?" The girl reminded.

"Who said you are bothering me?" Ranulf questioned the girl. He picked her up and put her on his shoulders. Ranulf motioned with his head for Link to follow the Queen as he kept Amy occupied.

Link found the queen looking towards the stars. She was obviously distressed, but Link couldn't figure out why.

"What's wrong?" Link asked, sitting on the top edge of the balcony.

"You shouldn't do that, Link." The queen lectured. "If you would lose your balance just a little bit, you could fall to your death."

"Don't worry, I have good balance. Besides, my strength and reflexes are much greater than a normal person's, so the fall wouldn't kill me, just hurt a bit. The main concern is you, your highness. What happened?"

"Oh, nothing." The queen tried to lie.

"I may not be the smartest man when it comes to women, but even I can tell something is wrong, your highness. Could you please tell me?"

"Everything is." Elincia finally admitted. "I hate this life, Link. I never wanted to be queen of a country. When I was born, I was brought up by Lucia and General Geoffery's parents. I didn't learn I was a princess until I was much older and I knew nothing about being a ruler when I was crowned three years ago. I still know nothing. Now a rebellion is forming right under my nose and there is nothing I can do about it. Instead, I have to rely on others to help me. Personally, I almost don't care anymore. I don't care if I'm overthrown. However, whoever is trying to lead this rebellion is obviously a wicked person, and I would hate to see that person come into power. I know at least one of the nobleman is behind this rebellion, but it's so hard to find out which one because they all hate me so much."

"I see." Link spoke. "Being a ruler of a country is very difficult. As a friend of Princess Zelda, I've seen that first hand. It must be even worse when you have so few people supporting you. However, I hope you do not give up, your highness. You are a very brave and strong person, and I would hate to see this kingdom ruled by anyone else."

"Thank you, Link."

"Is there anything else wrong?"

"No." Elincia responded.

"That…lie!" Leanne announced, flying up towards the balcony.

"Leanne, why aren't you at the party?" Elincia asked.

"Want…see…you." Leanne stumbled with the strange new language she was learning. "Elincia…loves…Ike."

"Leanne, that's not true." Elincia yelled.

"It t…t…true." Leanne argued, crossing her arms.

Elincia knew better than to argue with the Heron Princess. Leanne had the ability of reading a person's heart and often used that ability to find out what was bothering a person so she could help them.

"So that's another thing on your shoulders." Link stated.

"Lord Ike and I could never be. It's forbidden."

"I'm assuming that's because he's a mercenary and you're a princess." Link pointed out.

"Yes. That is correct." The queen responded. "It's bad enough there are rumors that General Geoffrey and I are having an affair, I don't need rumors that Lord Ike and I are as well."

"I'm assuming you two aren't." Link spoke.

"Of course not. I was raised like a little sister to the General. Marrying him would be like marrying an older brother. However, my feelings for Lord Ike are true, but I don't know what to do."

"Elincia,Tust livus exos." Leanna said.

"What?" Elincia asked, not understanding the heron's language.

"It's a saying in the ancient language." Link explained. "I've heard it a couple of times before. What Leanne just said was true love conquers all."

"I would love to think that way, but Ike is not a nobleman. We could never be happy together."

"Oh, I see. I thought Ike was some sort of lord?" Link questioned.

"He was made an honorary lord and general because of his services in winning Crimea its freedom. However, he denounced his title and went back to serving as a mercenary. Therefore, he is no longer a lord."

"Goddesses, do I hate politics." Link snorted.

"Then why are you an ambassador?"

"Because I was the only person the princess saw as right for the job." Link informed. "Unfortunately, your highness, I can only help you by beating up anyone who tries to threaten you. As for your love life, the only solution I can give is to listen to your heart."

Link jumped up and landed in the middle of the balcony to show off. The Hylian turned around and began to walk back to the ballroom when he turned back to her highness.

"Oh, your highness? Please remember, Tust livus exos."

Link then left the queen alone with Leanne.

"Elincia?" Leanne asked, still worried about the queen.

"I suppose it would be rude of me to stay out here all night. Come Leanne, let's go back to the ballroom."

Elincia put on a strong face as she headed back to receive constant stares of discontent from those who were scheming behind their back. She needed to be strong not only physically, but also emotionally in front of the nobles. Bastion had told her once "mental weakness is often worse than physical when dealing with an opponent."

"Elincia s…strong." Leanne spoke to the queen. "I w…want be Elincia."

"Thank you for the compliment, Leanne, but trust me, you don't want to be me."

Elincia and Leanne reentered the ballroom. There had been several bits of gossip when she had left and all eyes were glued to her as she entered. Geoffrey quickly rushed over to his queen when she entered to make sure she was O.K.

"Your highness, are you all right? What happened?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, General. I'm still a little under the weather and had to make a quick run to the bathroom. I'm really sorry if I worried anyone. I'm perfectly fine now, so please continue and just ignore me."

"Nice save." Ranulf muttered to himself as Amy sat on his lap and happily ate the cake he had found for her.

Soon everything was back to normal after Elincia returned. All in all, the ball was quite a success, with Queen Elincia's abrupt leaving as the only interruption.

Towards the end of the ball, Caineghis walked over to Ludveck's table. The nobleman was surprisingly polite to the Lion King.

"Ah, King Caineghis, it is a most splendid surprise that you were able to make it. My name is Lord Ludveck. Tell me, could I interest you in some fruit, my king? My region specializes in growing them. I realize that Laguz have a slightly different diet than we do, so I brought them here for you to try."

"Yes, thank you." The king accepted a couple the berries and ate them.

"This is just a sample of what my region grows. It would be an honor for you to come and visit my home during your time here."

"I thank you for the offer, but unfortunately, I must leave rather soon for my own country. There have been issues that require a lot of attention."

"Yes, so I have heard. I wish you the best of luck, my lord."

"Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting your acquaintance, Lord Ludveck. Now if you'd excuse me, I must talk to my servants."

Caineghis looked at his three servants. Ranulf was playing patty-cake with Amy, Lethe was glaring at them, and Mordecai was eating the catnip that was brought for the Laguz. They weren't actually doing anything wrong; it was just an excuse for the king to leave the nobleman.

'_He's the one.'_ Caineghis thought as he walked towards the other three Laguz.

**Dear readers, thanks so much for reading this story and waiting patiently for the next update. Please note that by the end of January, this story will be placed in Fire emblem-Zelda crossovers. **


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